Golden Slipper Picture Takes Shape

With the Golden Slipper field now confirmed, the focus turns to how the race stacks up on the ratings. We assess each runner’s best performance from their last two starts as a starting point for how the race may unfold. Our regular features also review the standout winners from the weekend, grade key performances in our Autumn Report Card, and explore the trap of saver bets in Racing & Betting IQ, plus more.

⭐️ Jigsaw – 101.7: His remarkable career resurgence rolled on with a fifth straight win, producing his best of the sequence on Saturday with a dominant 3.5 length victory at Caulfield rated 101.7. He showed strong sustained speed, running fast overall time while still finishing above standard over the final 200m. The current run of form closely mirrors the purple patch he produced three years ago between late 2022 and April 2023, when he won five of six, including a career peak of 102.5 in the Group 2 WFA Australia Stakes, alongside other wins rated 100.4 and 99.5.

🙌 Lazzura – 101: Her Group 1 Coolmore Classic win was well earned in a fast, high-pressure 1500m test that produced a new peak rating of 101, slightly above her previous best of 100. It is the second year in a row she has struck on this program after winning the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes over the same Rosehill 1500m twelve months earlier.

🎯 Vauban – 101: He won the Sky High Stakes race for the second year in a row when first-up, returning a 101 this year after a 102 last year, although the race on Saturday was run at a steadier tempo than the more genuinely run contest he faced last year. The win also continued the outstanding record of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott with staying types resuming over longer distances. Since 1 August 2022, runners from their stable starting in the top four of the market first-up over 1800m or further have produced 14 wins from 34 starts (41% strike rate) for a remarkable +116% profit on turnover. Vauban’s Australian peak remains the 103 he produced winning the Group 1 Metropolitan over 2400m last spring. This return suggests he is on track to match or improve on that figure this preparation.

📈 Birdman – 99.8: He continued his upward trajectory this campaign after winning the Group 2 Blamey Stakes last start with a 98.5 rating, improving again to a new peak of 99.8 when easily winning the Group 2 WFA Peter Young Stakes. Ben Melham positioned him perfectly early, sitting just over two lengths off the leader at the 800m, much closer than his usual pattern of settling four to seven lengths back. There was plenty to like about the way he travelled strongly up to Light Infantry Man approaching the 300m, while others around him were already under pressure. When asked to extend, he quickly put the race away and was still strong through the line. It may not be the last peak we see from him this preparation.

💎 Flying For Fun – 99.5: She ended last preparation with a 96.5 rated win over 1100m at Rosehill, a career peak at the time, and continued that upward trajectory here. Off the back of a strong recent trial, she returned with another win at the same track and trip, running 99.5 for a clear new peak. The margin over Mal Coupe was only 0.4 lengths, but she carried 4.5kg more relative to WFA, which makes her performance much stronger on weight-adjusted terms. If she can sustain ratings in this range, it won't be her last success at Group level.

*Ratings are normalised to weight-for-age for each horse.

Each week in The Autumn Report Card, we assess and grade the performances of key runners as they build through their autumn campaigns. The grades go beyond the raw result, weighing each run against expectations for this stage of preparation, the suitability of the race setup and how the performance shapes their prospects to reach or improve on their past peak performances.

The Golden Slipper is rarely won on exposed form alone, but it remains the clearest starting point.

The final field of 16 runners, plus four emergencies, has now been confirmed for the 2026 edition, and the graphic below outlines each horse’s best 📊 WFA Performance Rating from their last two starts alongside the barrier draw.

Of course, winning a race of this nature is never defined by recent ratings alone. Factors such as a horse’s capacity to improve to a new peak, its likely settling position, the suitability of the race shape and track pattern, the jockey's execution, and luck in-running all play a role.

Beyond the numbers, there is plenty at stake, with owners, trainers and jockeys chasing a dream result. For the horses, it is a chance to etch their name into the history of one of Australia’s most famous races, while for the colts in particular, success can create huge residual value in the breeding barn.

Racing & Betting IQ is a weekly series of practical tips, insights, and mental models drawn from experience. If you take your betting seriously, these principles can help sharpen how you think about and approach the game.

*Answers at the bottom

➡ Albury | Listed ALBURY GOLD CUP 2000M

➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 3 BIRTHDAY CARD STAKES 1200M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Listed DARBY MUNRO STAKES 1200M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 3 EPONA STAKES 1900M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 1 GEORGE RYDER STAKES 1500M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 3 N E MANION CUP 2400M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 1 RANVET STAKES 2000M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 1 ROSEHILL GUINEAS 2000M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 1 TAB GOLDEN SLIPPER 1200M
➡ Rosehill Gardens | Group 1 THE GALAXY 1100M
➡ Caulfield | Group 2 DCE Alister Clark Stakes 2000M
➡ Caulfield | Group 3 Don Casboult Classic 1200M
➡ Caulfield | Group 3 Dynamic Print Group Alexandra Stakes 1600M
➡ Caulfield | Group 1 Ladbrokes William Reid Stakes 1200M
➡ Caulfield | Group 2 Packaging Needs Sunline Stakes 1600M
➡ Caulfield | Listed The Valley Pearl 1200M
➡ Ascot | Listed GRANDSTAND CUP 1500M
➡ Ascot | Listed SUPREMACY STAKES 1000M

➡ Pinjarra Park | Listed PINJARRA CUP 2300M