Virtually any son of the mighty Frankel who is racing, and proven, at the elite level has to be shown due respect when he faces the starter and that certainly is the case with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Sir Delius in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes, which will be contested over 2000m at Flemington on Saturday.
Sir Delius, who has won half of his fourteen starts and who has already banked $4,794,598 in prize-money, will be second-up on Saturday after gaining a satisfactory result when resuming in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes over a distance well short of his best against the strongest of opposition, which included Sheza Alibi and Autumn Boy.
Sir Delius finished fourth there, when carrying 2.5kg more than the winner, and the result backed up the impression that he is progressing nicely enough into his latest campaign, following his two positive trial runs in preparation for his return to action.
With the country’s highest-profile stables of Chris Waller and Ciaron Maher tending to hog the headlines these days, in what has become a vastly changed landscape over recent years, it is easy to not give full credence to the inherent power of a stable such as that of Waterhouse and Bott … and that would be a mistake.
Outnumbered, but not necessarily outgunned … Waller and Maher both have five runners in the Turnbull on Saturday … or, if you like, two-thirds of the field … Waterhouse and Bott’s Sir Delius, on class alone, still has to go into the mix.
Sir Delius won the Turnbull last year … beating Antino, Via Sistina, Half Yours and Aeliana … when he was on an absolute roll, having won the Group 1 Underwood Stakes in his previous start, beating Buckaroo.
At that time, it was full speed ahead with Sir Delius moving confidently towards a Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup (he was the early favourite for both races) when … and who can forget this … his campaign was unceremoniously shut down by Racing Victoria stewards ordering his withdrawal from those races on the basis that nominated panel members reported to RV Veterinary Services that the CT scan results for Sir Delius indicated that the horse was at heightened risk of injury.
That left Sir Delius in limbo, but he was able to race in New South Wales, which he did after a four-month spell following his Turnbull win … and he immediately again showed to good advantage, finishing third in both the Verry Elleegant Stakes over 1600m and the Ranvet Stakes over 2000m (both Group 1 races) … before really coming into his own again with a super win in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000m, when upstaging the short-priced favourite Autumn Glow.
Now, after that Makybe Diva run, Sir Delius is second-up. He has won two out of four starts and finished second once when second-up.
He stays at his favoured 2000m trip over which he has won three out of four starts. He has also won his only start over Saturday’s track and distance.
He has only been beaten out of the first four places once in fourteen starts … and that was in no less an event than the 2024 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s most prestigious race.
Yes, the 2026 edition is dripping with quality, with the field including, amongst others, the likes of the Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours, the Australian Cup winner Light Infantry Man, the Tancred Stakes and Ranvet winner Aeliana and the Northerly Stakes winner Cosmic Crusader … but, as far as big-race credentials go, they don’t come much more impressive than those of Sir Delius.
