Chris Waller's Birdman won the 2026 Doomben Cup on Saturday afternoon, James McDonald in the saddle, the five-year-old gelding scoring at $3.30 favouritism in a seven-horse Group 1 over 2000m. Ciaron Maher's Pride Of Jenni ran second by 2¾ lengths, Vauban third for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Winning time was 2m 2.23s on a Good surface, the rail in the true position. Birdman came home strongly off a Doomben track that had dried out from the previous week's Heavy surface, and the Waller-trained Irish import added a second Australian Group 1 to his record in his second 2000m start of the prep.
The Stayer's Race That Belonged to Birdman
McDonald rode Birdman with conviction. The pace went hard early off Pride Of Jenni's typical front-running gambit, with Declan Bates pushing the mare to the front from barrier 4 and stretching the field through the first 800m. Birdman tracked the speed from barrier 5 in fourth, came outside Pride Of Jenni on the home turn, and dropped the field with 200m to run. The 2¾ length margin was the deserved one. Vauban, who had drifted to $8 across the books late in the week, ran on for third for Tim Clark, with the Waterhouse-Bott runner staying on through the final 100m.
Pride Of Jenni's Brave Front-Running Run
Pride Of Jenni's second was the brave run of the day. The 8-year-old mare came back to her best front-running shape under Declan Bates after an indifferent campaign and only ran into a winner who handled the trip better. Maher said post-race the mare's next start will be assessed off the back of the run, with the Stradbroke the natural carnival target if the form line rates. Waller, who also saddled up Asterix and Kovalica from his three-runner team in the race, has Birdman likely heading toward the Stradbroke at his preferred trip lead-in. Half Yours, the $3 pre-race favourite who had been a top selection on the back of his Hollindale win, finished out of the placings for Tony and Calvin McEvoy. She's A Hustler ran on for Grahame Begg.
Where the Markets Land
Stradbroke Handicap markets shifted on the back of the result. Birdman comes in to single-figure prices across our reviewed bookmakers dabble, Ladbrokes and Picklebet for the 14 June Group 1 1350m at Doomben, joining Napoleonic from the Doomben 10000 a week earlier as the Waller stable's two-pronged threat for the Brisbane carnival's biggest race. Pride Of Jenni's second has her in the conversation for the Stradbroke if the campaign warrants it, but the form line points to a mile prep. Vauban's third earns him the Stradbroke ticket for Waterhouse-Bott. The Hawkesbury Crown headline acceptances drop midweek for the Sydney circuit on Saturday next. The day's other feature was the Group 3 BRC Sprint over 1350m. Full Doomben Cup card and sectional times via Racing Queensland.