Stakes Day at Flemington opened with a genuine boilover, Point Barrow accounting for the best sprinters in the land at $19. Abroad, the retirement terms for Breeders' Cup Classic winner Sovereignty have been set, while the Keeneland November Sale moved into Book 3 with a $750,000 topper. Chris Waller also has next year's Melbourne Cup in mind after the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Racingaapnews.com.auAustralia
Point Barrow ($19) won the $3 million VRC Champions Sprint at Flemington on Saturday, upsetting Everest winner Tempted and five-time Group 1 winner Joliestar. The four-year-old mare, trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman and ridden by Mark Zahra, held off Plaintiff and Sky Bird in a blanket finish for her first win at the top level. It was Zahra's third win in the race after Giga Kick in 2025 and Santa Ana Lane in 2018.
Pedigrees: Point Barrow, Tempted, Joliestar, Plaintiff, Sky Bird, Giga Kick, Santa Ana Lane, Ka Ying Rising
BreedingBloodHorseInternational
Breeders' Cup Classic winner Sovereignty will enter stud next year at Darley America at Jonabell Farm near Lexington at a fee of $150,000, with Pacific Classic winner Knightsbridge set at $75,000. A Godolphin homebred son of Into Mischief, Sovereignty retires with five Group/Grade 1 wins and earnings of more than $10.5 million, and is the only horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Travers and Breeders' Cup Classic. Knightsbridge, a son of Nyquist, is a five-time graded stakes winner who ran third in the Classic and retires with more than $2.15 million.
Pedigrees: Sovereignty, Knightsbridge, Into Mischief, Nyquist, Street Sense, Authentic, Ferdinand, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Unbridled, American Pharoah, Crowned, Mushka, Speaker's Corner, Golden Pal, Corniche, Tyburn Brook, Round Pond
SalesBloodHorseInternational
Hot Mash, a grade 1-placed three-year-old daughter of Not This Time, topped Friday's Book 3 opener of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale at $750,000, bought by Hugo Merry Bloodstock for Blue Diamond Stud USA from the Taylor Made draft. Gainesway paid $450,000 for stakes winner French Friction, a daughter of City of Light. Day four saw 246 horses sell for $23,395,200, a total down 10.1 per cent, with the average up 4.9 per cent to $95,102, the median down 7.1 per cent to $65,000 and an RNA rate of 25.2 per cent.
Pedigrees: Hot Mash, Not This Time, French Friction, City of Light, More Oats Please, Peace and War, Conquest Angel, Rushie
Racingjusthorseracing.com.auAustralia
Pinhole, who missed a Melbourne Cup start by one spot at 25th in the order of entry, won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes as the $2.60 favourite by 2¾ lengths from Manzor Blue ($41) and Torranzino ($26). Trainer Chris Waller described the UK import as a bright stayer of the future and said he is now qualified for next year's Cup. The Joseph O'Brien-trained Defiantly, who led for two-thirds of the race, finished fourth.
Pedigrees: Pinhole, Point Of Law, Manzor Blue, Torranzino, Defiantly, Makybe Diva
RacingRacenetAustralia
Racenet reports that the Hayes-trained filly Soldi won the Inglis Banner at Flemington on Champions Day. The full report was not retrievable at the time of writing, so no further detail is confirmed here.
Pedigrees: Soldi
WageringThoroughbred Daily NewsInternational
Rob Dolan of Saratoga Springs, New York, won the 2026 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge after going all in on an exacta combining Sovereignty with The Puma in the Breeders' Cup Classic. He finished with total winnings of $625,794, made up of a $140,694 bankroll and $485,100 in prize money. The 18th running of the live-money tournament, held 30-31 October at Keeneland, drew a record 693 entries, up 7.7 per cent on 2025.
Pedigrees: Sovereignty, The Puma
