Waller's 500 to 1 Clean Sweep, Tempted at $1.80 and Autumn Glow at $1.20: Champions Day Final Fields and Times

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Can Chris Waller really win five feature races in one day?

The odds are close to 500 to 1, but the question is being asked seriously, because Chris Waller will saddle the favourite in five feature races across two states on Saturday. That is the headline of Champions Day, the final day of the Melbourne Cup carnival, and it is a story about one trainer's dominance of Australian racing, not just about three races at Flemington.

Waller will saddle the favourite in five of the six big feature races on Saturday, including mighty mare Autumn Glow, the $1.20 favourite with TAB Fixed Odds for the Group 1 $3 million Champions Mile at Flemington. His stablemate Aeliana is the $2.80 favourite for the Group 1 $3 million Champions Stakes. His mare Joliestar is at $4.60 second favouritism behind The Everest winner Tempted in the Group 1 $3 million Champions Sprint. At Rosehill Gardens in Sydney, Waller-trained starters are at the top of betting for all the big-money races, including Declichy Boulevard at $4 for the Group 3 $2 million Five Diamonds.

The odds for an all-up on Waller's favoured big-race runners is close to 500 to 1, according to Racing and Sports. As unlikely as a clean sweep might be, the trainer's outstanding group of mares and lone filly are certainly all winning chances. TAB Fixed Odds spokesman Tim Ryan said all of Waller's big-race entries have been well backed in early betting, particularly Autumn Glow. "Autumn Glow has firmed all week," Ryan said. "I thought she was short enough at $1.28 but then she was backed into $1.20."

Waller is a Hall of Fame trainer, and this is the kind of day that explains why. He has the best miler in the country, a leading chance in the sprint, the favourite in the staying feature, and the top chances in Sydney as well. The 500 to 1 figure is a bookmaker's price for a clean sweep, not a prediction, and nobody should bet on it as if it were likely. But the fact that it is being priced at all, for one trainer on one day, tells fans how far ahead of the field Waller's team is right now.

What are the three Champions Day Group 1 races?

Champions Day at Flemington on Saturday 7 November is the final day of the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival, and it carries three Group 1 races, each worth $3 million. The table below gives the features, the times, and the headline horses, with times converted for fans outside Australia.

| Champions Day feature | Time Melbourne | Distance | Prize money | Headline horse | |---|---|---|---| | Champions Sprint, Group 1 | 3:50pm Saturday | 1200 metres | $3 million | Tempted, $1.80 | | Champions Mile, Group 1 | 4:30pm Saturday | 1600 metres | $3 million | Autumn Glow, $1.20 | | Champions Stakes, Group 1 | 5:10pm Saturday | 2000 metres | $3 million | Aeliana, $2.80 |

The track is rated Good 4, overcast, for Saturday. In Australia, Nine shows all four carnival days free on Channel 9 and on 9Now, and Racing.com is free on its website and app. For fans outside Australia, check local racing channels and streaming services, because rights vary by country.

Can Tempted handle the Flemington straight?

Tempted, trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by Chad Schofield, from barrier 9, carrying 56.5 kilograms, is the headline sprinter of the day, and the question hanging over her is not whether she is the best sprinter in the country. It is whether she can handle the Flemington straight.

She won The Everest at Randwick on 17 October, over 1200 metres on a rain-affected track, beating Ka Ying Rising by a head, and she is on a six-run winning streak. Her previous start was a three-length win in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes at Randwick on 3 October over 1200 metres in soft going. She is into $1.80 favouritism for the Champions Sprint, and the big money agrees. Bookmakers have taken $40,000 on Tempted at $1.90, $13,000 at $1.85, and $10,000 at $1.80, plus a $2,000 bet at $1.80.

But Saturday will be her first look at the Flemington straight, which is a test in itself, because straight track sprinting is different from bend racing. There are no turns to help a horse balance, no rail to guide it, and the field spreads across the full width of the track. Some sprinters love it. Some do not. Tempted has never raced down the straight, and that is the one unknown in an otherwise dominant profile.

Her main danger is Waller's Joliestar, who ran third in The Everest and is next in betting at about $4.60. TAB spokesman Tim Ryan said he is "more inclined to take on Tempted" with Joliestar. The multis will be huge on Tempted into Autumn Glow, according to Ryan, which means a Tempted win would pay out heavily across the country.

Is Autumn Glow the best horse in Australia?

Autumn Glow, trained by Chris Waller and ridden by James McDonald, from barrier 2, carrying 57 kilograms, is the headline miler, and she may be the best horse in Australia. She has tasted defeat just once in 15 starts, and she was breathtaking winning the King Charles III Stakes last month.

She is a 14-time winner from 15 career starts, and she heads to Flemington for the first time. Her latest run was a 2.25-length win in the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes at Randwick on 17 October over 1609 metres on a soft track, defeating Ceolwulf, when she started at $1.26. She is on a three-run winning streak, and she was about $1.26 to $1.28 in Wednesday betting before firming to $1.20, and $1.22 on some boards.

The big money is piling on. Bookmakers have taken $20,000 on Autumn Glow at $1.25, $9,100 at $1.22, $8,500 at $1.24, $8,000 at $1.25, $9,000 at $1.20, and $7,000 at $1.28. That is the kind of money that says the market thinks this is a race to lose, not a race to win.

Her rivals are a long way back in the betting. Lindermann is at $11 on the second line, with Tom Kitten at $12 to $14 and Buckaroo at $13. The Champions Mile field is nine middle-distance gallopers, and Autumn Glow dominates it. If she loses, it will be the upset of the carnival. If she wins, Waller is one step closer to the clean sweep, and the conversation about the best horse in the country is settled for another year.

What about the Cox Plate rematch in the Stakes?

The Champions Stakes is the most open of the three Group 1 races, because it is a Cox Plate rematch. Cox Plate winner Cosmic Crusader lines up again against Birdman and Aeliana, who were second and third in the Cox Plate.

Aeliana, trained by Chris Waller and ridden by James McDonald, from barrier 4, carrying 57 kilograms, was about $3.10 in Wednesday betting and has firmed to $2.80 since the final field was declared. She is the favourite, but this is not a $1.20 shot. This is a genuine contest between three horses who have already met at the top level, and the Cox Plate form is the form to trust.

The Stakes runs over 2000 metres, which is a proper staying test, and it is the last of the three features, at 5:10pm Melbourne time. By then, fans will know whether Waller's clean sweep is still alive, and whether Tempted handled the straight, and whether Autumn Glow did what the market expects. The Stakes is the race that decides whether Saturday is a coronation or a carnival with a sting in the tail.

What happened to the Nick Ryan case?

The integrity story that hung over Cup Week has not moved this week, and that is worth stating clearly rather than leaving fans to guess. Trainer Nick Ryan had his licence suspended after stewards found two syringes of darbepoetin alfa, a banned substance, in the glove box of his car at Flemington on 31 October. He was charged under AR 250 (a), which covers possession of a Prohibited List A substance. The inquiry was adjourned for 28 days, and no new development has been reported.

That distinction still matters. The charge is possession only. No horse has tested positive, no horse is named as having been given the substance, and no finding or penalty has been announced. Ryan's horses are being transferred to other licensed trainers while the inquiry continues. The other carnival punishments, Chris Waller fined $50,000 after Asterix was scratched from the Melbourne Cup on race morning over a Penetrene treatment, and Ben Allen's 16-meeting ban for a whip breach in the Cup, are separate cases and should not be confused with the Ryan possession charge.

What else is on around the country?

Champions Day is not the only big racing on Saturday. At Rosehill Gardens in Sydney, the Group 3 $2 million Five Diamonds over 1800 metres is the feature, with Waller's Declichy Boulevard at $4 at the top of betting. That race is part of the Waller clean sweep story, and it is why the 500 to 1 figure covers two states, not just Flemington.

Next week, the focus moves north. The Cheltenham November Meeting runs from 13 to 15 November, with the Paddy Power Gold Cup on Saturday 14 November at 2:20pm, a prize fund of 160,000 pounds, and 41 entries. Early leaders in the betting are Meetmebythesea at 4 to 1, Blueking D'Oroux at 6 to 1, Madara at 8 to 1, and Regent's Stroll and Vincenzo at 10 to 1. Weights were due on Wednesday 4 November, and declarations are on Thursday 12 November.

Saturday at Flemington is the end of Cup Week, and it asks three proper questions. Can the best sprinter handle the straight? Can the best miler keep winning? And does the Cox Plate form hold up over 2000 metres? Those are the questions that matter, even in a week when the headlines have also been about syringes in a glove box and a trainer trying to win five feature races in a single day.

Related live posts: Nick Ryan Suspended: Flemington Syringe Case Explained, and Point Of Law Wins Melbourne Cup as Maher Trains Historic Trifecta: Full Results, Dividends and What Happens Next.

Sources: Racing and Sports, Special Feature: Waller's 500/1 Shot, 5 November 2026; Ladbrokes, Champions Sprint 2026 odds and Champions Mile 2026 odds, 6 November 2026; Just Horse Racing, Champions Mile field and odds, and Horse Racing Big Bets Saturday 7 November 2026, 6 November 2026; Racing.com, Saturday Snapshot Champions Day at Flemington, 4 November 2026; Hong Kong Jockey Club Racing News, Champions Stakes Day reference odds, 6 November 2026; Bet Nation Tips, Flemington November 7th tips and previews, 5 November 2026.