The 2026 edition of the Underwood Stakes has been run, with Chris Waller-trained Birdman proving too strong for rivals to claim the Group 1 race.
Below is what the winning trainer, winning jockey and beaten riders had to say following the Group 1 feature 1.
Winning Trainer: Chris Waller (Darren Beadman speaking)
Put them away comfortably in the end: “Chris just gets the timing right perfectly when it comes to placing these horses, knowing when to put the acid on them. He ran in a nice lead-up race in the Memsie, into this. Before Ben (Melham) went out, he said they are going to pair up very quickly. He said ‘I could be box set’, but he backed his judgement, got on the back of Willie Pike (Cosmic Crusader). He dragged him into the race perfectly. He was the fresh horse on the scene. He stood up to be counted today and it was a great ride by Benny and a great effort by the Melbourne staff..”
Cox Plate: “Two thousand at Flemington looks made to order in a sense. I think he’s a better mile-and-a-quarter horse than he is 2400-metre horse. Keep the freshness in his legs and he’s got that acceleration. We’ll leave that to the master trainer. He’s been there plenty of time and he knows what it takes.”
On Buckaroo: “He ran really well. It was just a mathematic impossibility to give a horse like Birdman a headstart and run him day. The track was probably a little bit firm for him as well, being upgraded to a Good 3. I’m sure he will bounce out of it.”
On Lindermann: “He just said he was on the wrong leg and he just wasn’t comfortable. He was gone from a long way out from home. He didn’t have any horses to take him into the race. Usually he stretches them, but they were stretching him. He’s had the two goes here and may be he doesn’t like Caulfield.”
Winning Jockey: Ben Melham
On the win: “It was very good. He’s been a revelation this horse. He really found his niche last time in. Put the writing on the wall first up, it was a good run. He had a trial obviously just to keep him up to the mark and I was a bit worried he felt the ground a little bit, but race day with the blinkers on.
“We had a beautiful trail, we just come off a little bit before the corner when the sprint come on and I gave him a squeeze just to pick him up and he picked him up quickly he got there too soon and it’s not his go that he had a good look around, won with a bit in hand so I think he’s a good 2,000 metre horse.
“Anyway, he’s in the right barn, they know what they’re doing with him and he’s got him flying. So credit to the stable and well done to Ozzie and Johnny and all the guys involved with the horse.”
“He’s an old gentleman, he’s a lovely horse to ride. Makes my job easy when you’ve got an old gentleman to ride like this.”
Beaten Jockeys:
Blake Shinn (Lindermann): “Disappointing. I think he’s much better suited to Sydney, wasn’t comfortable this way of going.”
Mark Zahra (Buckaroo): “I think he’d prefer a bit more give in the track, he’ll improve a lot from that run.”
Jamie Mott (Attrition): “Bounced back to form with a really good run, travelled well throughout, felt on the corner Lindermann or Kingswood would give a better kick and provide a bit of room but they didn’t, they sort of stopped in my lap so I had to go back to the inside but he fought on bravely for third.”
Lachlan Neindorf (Pinstriped): “He’s becoming a little bit of a cunning old bugger to figure out, he’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve, we’re trying to figure out his distance range, he stepped out to the 1800 and unfortunately just didn’t get that trip. I think he’s got to be really fresh at 1400 and he’ll run his best races.”
William Pike (Cosmic Crusader): “I gave him the ride I wanted to give him. I think he’s looking for further and I think I was a spot too close, he didn’t quite chase until the bird had flown, he was still chasing hard but outsprinted at the top of the straight.”
Ethan Brown (Middle Earth): “I was happy with his run. Rail out ten, he struggles around sharp corners, he dropped the bit, he was outsprinted but I was happy with his work the last 300.”
John Allen (Kingswood): “I thought he ran good, he got a little fired up down the side, he might’ve just over-travelled a little bit but still ran well.”
