My Gladiola produced the biggest performance of her career at Sandown Hillside on Saturday, storming down the 1000‑metre course to claim the 2026 Group 1 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes and deliver a milestone moment for trainer John McArdle and jockey Jamie Mott.

2026 Moir Stakes winner My Gladiola secured a deserving breakthrough Group 1 trophy. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Sent out at $9.50, the brilliant grey mare finally secured the elite‑level victory her record had long promised, wearing down Cavalry Girl in the shadows of the post, with favourite Natural Fling finishing third.

The win almost didn’t happen.

McArdle revealed he had seriously contemplated scratching the mare when early rain threatened to push the track into the heavy range.

“Thank God I second guessed myself a little bit,” he admitted.

“We were thinking about scratching and thankfully they put it up as a (soft) seven.

“If it had been a (heavy) eight we may not have been here.

“Things went her way today. The wind and the sun dried the track out a bit and Jamie gave her a great ride.”

From a kinder draw than usual, My Gladiola settled closer to the speed, travelled comfortably, and showed the same explosive sprint that has made her one of Australia’s most consistent short‑course mares.

McArdle praised her toughness and longevity.

“She has run against the best her entire career,” he said.

“We ran second to Tentyris a couple of times… she was deserving of this. I didn’t think it was going to be today. I did before the rains came.

“All the team at home have done a great job with her.”

The victory carried deep emotion for Jamie Mott, who has ridden My Gladiola throughout her rise and has long been McArdle’s go‑to rider.

“I’m actually really emotional. Just to do it for John is just unbelievable,” Mott said.

“He’s loyal to me as a jockey… she’s been so special. Yet to tick off that Group 1, but we knew she was good enough.

“I’m absolutely over the moon. My fifth Group 1 and I haven’t been this emotional, so it’s pretty special.”

Mott also praised the mare’s ability to handle the softened ground.

“John was really concerned with the track, but I had three walks to the track… I was happy enough that it wasn’t too bad for her and she was going to cope with it,” he said.

“First‑up, she’s dynamic and she’s a proper 1000‑metre Group 1 sprinter.”

My Gladiola’s racing style — keen, fast, and fiercely competitive — again proved her greatest weapon.

“That’s just her and I don’t think we can change that,” Mott explained.

“I’ve led on her in the past… it didn’t work, and I think that’s why she’s so good at the 1000, because she can have that speed.

“She does get strong, but she still kind of relaxes at the same time.”

The win adds a Group 1 crown to a résumé already stacked with black‑type performances, including placings in the Black Caviar Lightning, Coolmore Stud Stakes, Danehill Stakes and Quezette Stakes.

Purchased for $550,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and bred by Kia Ora, My Gladiola has now earned more than $1.5 million, cementing her status as one of Australia’s most explosive sprinters.

It was a breakthrough that felt inevitable — and richly deserved — for a mare who has repeatedly fronted up against the nation’s best and finally had the conditions, the ride, and the moment fall her way.

My Gladiola’s Moir Stakes triumph has opened the door to a genuine step up in trip this spring, with the mare now a live chance to stretch to 1200 metres for a crack at the Group 1 $2 million Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes at Caulfield on September 27.

Her explosive Sandown win prompted an immediate market reaction, with the grey tightening sharply in 2026 Manikato Stakes futures — firming from $26 into $11 with race sponsor Ladbrokes — as she shapes as one of the most intriguing sprinting players heading deeper into the carnival.

2026 Moir Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia.