Sir Delius stuns Autumn Glow in Queen Elizabeth Stakes upset

Sir Delius ripped through the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and left the autumn division with a new order. In Australia’s richest weight-for-age test at Royal Randwick, the imported stayer turned back champion mare Autumn Glow, ending her perfect record and handing her the first defeat of her career in a race worth A$5 million.

Craig Williams settled Sir Delius into the run and asked for the effort when the field straightened. The five-year-old answered with a decisive turn of foot, drawing clear to win the Group 1 2000m feature in 2:00.59. He beat Lindermann by about 2.25 lengths, with Lindermann a half-neck in front of Autumn Glow, who finished third after going off as the heavy favourite at around $1.30. Sir Delius returned about $6.

The result was bigger than the margin. Autumn Glow had arrived with an 11-from-11 record and the reputation of an elite miler stretching her boundaries for the first time at 2000m. That extra trip proved decisive. James McDonald said the mare had “relaxed and travelled into it beautifully,” but also credited the winner after Autumn Glow “felt the pinch” late. Chris Waller later accepted the distance call, saying, “I got it wrong.”

For Sir Delius, the win carried the weight of vindication. Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the horse had seen his 2025 spring campaign cut short when Racing Victoria stewards withdrew him from the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup after CT and PET scan findings pointed to a heightened injury risk. On Saturday, the record-priced 1,300,000-guineas buy from Tattersalls answered every question that had been hanging over him since then.

Adrian Bott called it “the one that counted,” while Waterhouse described it as a “very satisfying and special win.” Williams, who also handled the tactical side of the ride, said the horse’s stamina made the difference once the pressure came on. The performance also sharpened the conversation around future targets, with Sir Delius now firmly in line for more major staying and weight-for-age assignments across the spring.

The official result read Sir Delius, Lindermann, Autumn Glow, Dubai Honour, Light Infantry Man, Wootton Verni and Caviar Heights, with Aeliana scratched. But the story was concentrated in the top three: a champion exposed at a new distance, a proven stayer delivering on imported class, and a $5 million race that has already redrawn the autumn map.