The autumn campaign of Sir Delius has been targeted around one race, and while he will have to overcome two star mares and a proven international performer, trainer Adrian Bott is adamant the horse is ready to peak.
Whether that’s good enough to upset Autumn Glow, Aeliana and Dubai Honour, Bott isn’t sure, but he is expecting Sir Delius to run his best race this preparation in Saturday’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.
“He has been building well. He’s right on track now and hopefully we’ll see him run a personal best this preparation,” Bott said.
“Some of his best performances in the spring still may not be enough with the form Autumn Glow is in, but in saying that, it’s different conditions to what they met at last time.
“I expect it to be a decent pressure race. I feel he’s at his best now this prep to perform well.
“This is the run and the race where we’ve tried to have him peaking.”
Claiming back-to-back wins in the Underwood (1800m) and Turnbull Stakes (2000m) in the spring, Melbourne Cup plans for Sir Delius were torpedoed when he failed mandatory Racing Victoria veterinary tests.
Connections were forced to pull up stumps mid-preparation and Bott said that resulted in him needing racing to hit his straps this time around.
“We were able to go into the spring off the back of a Queensland campaign and had residual fitness early in that preparation,” he said.
“We’ve come off a longer break and it’s taken a bit of time to build into that. It was unsuitable at the mile first-up and he showed improvement second-up when we just gave ourselves a bit to do.”
Sir Delius settled back in the field from the outside draw second-up in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m), but Bott anticipated him positioning closer from barrier three on Saturday.
While he regards the undefeated Autumn Glow as the horse to beat, he is mindful she is extending to a middle distance for the first time in the Queen Elizabeth and hopes that might present a chink in her armour.
“It’s new ground for her, if we’re trying to find anything to grasp onto,” Bott said.
“I have respect for her, not just her. Aeliana was very good last start. Lindermann even prior to that. It’s a proper weight-for-age 2000 metre race.”
The Queen Elizabeth Stakes does have a history of producing upset results with Intergaze downing Octagonal in his racetrack swansong in 1997, while Grand Armee famously spoiled Lonhro’s farewell in 2004.
