The Melbourne Cup is the mission for Knights Order after he capped a memorable afternoon for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott with a commanding first-up victory in the Chelmsford Stakes.
Having his first start since claiming the Sydney Cup in the autumn, the gelding gave the Tulloch Lodge trainers a Group race double after North Star Lass earlier fought back to win the Furious Stakes (1200m).
It came a day after the training partners celebrated their respective birthdays and speaking from Fiorente Lodge in the NSW Southern Highlands, Waterhouse said Knights Order had come of age.
“Knights Order has stamped himself well and truly as a weight-for-age horse,” Waterhouse said.
“It was like a longer race being wet and they didn’t take him on early, so it gave him the chance to get into his rhythm
“What a versatile horse.”
Waterhouse confirmed the Melbourne Cup as the main goal for Knights Order but was unsure what path he would take to get there.
“We have been thinking about Knights Order’s preparation, but we have one race in mind for him and that’s the Melbourne Cup,” she said.
“We will let the dust settle and decide which races he goes to next.”
The Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) lost some of its lustre with the race day scratchings of Montefilia and Mo’Unga due to the downgrade of the track to heavy but there were some promising runs behind the winner, including Caulfield Cup hopefully Numerian who finished a brave second at his first start since taking out the Q22 in June.
Surefire started a $3.10 favourite but trainer Chris Waller said his wide draw and the heavy conditions were against him.
“We just had to take our medicine and go back and find some cover,” Waller said.
“He was dipping and diving at the 600m and James (McDonald) held him together from a safety perspective and made sure he still finished off well.”
Knights Order ($7) defeated Numerian ($5.50) by 1-1/4 lengths with No Compromise ($19) a solid third.