Champions Stakes Day 2026 Prediction and Odds

Three $3 million Group 1s close the Melbourne Cup Carnival, headlined by a Champions Stakes rematch of the Cox Plate placegetters.

Less than a length separated Cosmic Crusader, Birdman, and Aeliana at the end of the Cox Plate, and on Saturday the three of them can meet again over the same 2000m at Flemington.

With the Cox Plate moved to Flemington this year, the Champions Stakes has become a straight rematch on the same track and trip, which gives the final day of the carnival a main event with plenty of form to work with.

Before we get to our full preview, here are the key details:

• Track: Flemington, Melbourne
• Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
• Feature Races: Champions Stakes (Group 1, 2000m), Champions Mile (Group 1, 1600m), and Champions Sprint (Group 1, 1200m)
• Prize Money: $3,000,000 for each Group 1 Three $3 million Group 1s in one afternoon puts this card among Australia's richest horse races, and it is worth seeing where it sits.
• First Race: 12.40pm AEDT
• Last Race: 5.50pm AEDT

Cosmic Crusader Holds the Edge Over Aeliana at 2000m

Cosmic Crusader has been the story of the Melbourne spring. He won the Turnbull Stakes over 2000m at Flemington on 3 October, giving trainer Andrea Leek her first Group 1, and returned to the same track three weeks later to win the Cox Plate on a Good 4 in 2:03.30.

Aeliana finished third behind him both times, so William Pike's mount is two from two against Chris Waller's mare this campaign.

The case against him is workload. He squeezed a fourth in the Caulfield Cup between those two wins, Saturday would be his eighth start of the preparation, and connections hadn't confirmed a run at the time of writing.

Aeliana and Birdman Have the Form to Turn the Tables

Aeliana came to Melbourne with autumn Group 1 wins in the Ranvet and Tancred Stakes, and RSN's Nick Noonan rated her Cox Plate the best run in the race after James McDonald sent her to the front a long way out.

Birdman, Waller's other Cox Plate runner, has been the big improver of the year, winning Group 1s in Brisbane and Melbourne before finishing three-quarters of a length behind Cosmic Crusader from barrier one.

McDonald riding her so positively is the kind of judgement that keeps him among the top jockeys in Australia, and it is worth seeing how he rates against the rest.

Outside the trio, Sir Delius is the main danger. He led the Cox Plate betting for much of the spring before finishing sixth, and he has the class to get among them if one of the trio is flat after a hard spring.

Tempted Takes On the Flemington Straight in the Champions Sprint

Everest winner Tempted is the headline act in the Champions Sprint after beating Ka Ying Rising at Randwick, and Ciaron Maher has confirmed she will have her first look at the Flemington straight.

That is the catch, because 14 of her 15 starts have come in New South Wales, and her only Victorian run was the 2025 Blue Diamond at Caulfield. Smooth Chino already has a Flemington win this spring after taking the Group 2 McEwen Stakes there by a nose from Mazu.

Champions Stakes Betting Markets

The win market is a three-way argument, which is exactly why the exotics stand out in the Champions Stakes.

Exactas, quinellas, and trifectas let punters back a view on the finishing order of the Cox Plate placegetters, while the place market suits anyone who rates Aeliana or Birdman without being sure either can beat Cosmic Crusader.

If you are new to those exotic bet types, our rundown of how horse racing bets work breaks down exactas, quinellas and trifectas.

Confirmed runners and barriers will shape every one of those markets, and with Cosmic Crusader's start still up in the air at the time of writing, the latest horse racing odds will tell you quickly whether the rematch is on.

Champions Stakes Day Prediction: Our Pick

Our pick is the Champions Stakes exotics built around Cosmic Crusader, Aeliana, and Birdman.

Three-quarters of a length and a head separated them in the Cox Plate over this same 2000m at Flemington, Cosmic Crusader has beaten Aeliana in both of their meetings this spring, and Birdman pushed the winner hardest from the inside draw.

We like an exacta or trifecta with Cosmic Crusader on top and the two Waller runners underneath, with Aeliana the one most likely to reverse the order if his eighth run of the campaign finally catches up with him.

The danger is a horse like Sir Delius getting in among them, and if Cosmic Crusader doesn't accept, the race opens right up.