Champion jockey James McDonald appears primed to continue his record-breaking Group 1 tear this Saturday, reuniting with the gifted Chris Waller-trained mare Aeliana in the 2026 Tancred Stakes at Rosehill Gardens.
Aeliana is the one to beat on the quick back-up in a small 2026 Tancred Stakes field this weekend. Photo: Bradley Photos.
A cornerstone of the Sydney staying calendar, this year’s Group 1 $1.5 million Tancred Stakes (2400m) will see a compact but elite field of eight runners finalise their preparations following the early withdrawal of Wootton Verni.
Leading the charge in the Tancred Stakes odds at Ladbrokes is Waller’s four-year-old daughter of Castelvecchio.
Aeliana is currently a prohibited $1.75 favourite to secure consecutive Group 1 victories on a seven-day backup.
The mare returned to the winner’s stall in style last Saturday, saluting as a short-priced favourite in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) after brave runner-up finishes behind her invincible stablemate Autumn Glow in both the Apollo Stakes and the Verry Elleegant.
With J-Mac maintaining the mount, Aeliana looks ready to strike while the iron is hot.
She is expected to thrive with the increase in distance, having famously decimated the boys by five lengths in the Australian Derby over this same 2400m trip last autumn.
The 2026 edition maintains its international prestige with the return of defending champion Dubai Honour.
The William Haggas-trained UK raider is back to defend his title in the weight-for-age feature, boasting a superb Australian resume that includes a victory over Duke De Sessa in this race last year.
With Tom Marquand back in the irons, Dubai Honour is looking to join an elite club.
A win on Saturday would make him only the third horse in history to become a dual Tancred Stakes champion, alongside legends Octagonal (1996–97) and Tie The Knot (1999–2000).
Dubai Honour is out to become just the third horse in history to win the Tancred Stakes twice and the first since Tie The Knot (1999-2000)!
The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott stable provides the other single-figure contender in Vauban ($6).
The evergreen eight-year-old son of Galiway showcased his affinity for the Rosehill track (3:2-0-1) with a determined one-length victory in the Group 3 Sky High Stakes on March 14.
He now attempts to become the first horse since Hartnell (2015) to complete the Sky High/Tancred double.
Tim Clark retains the ride from barrier three, making the veteran a live value hope in the staying showdown.
Waller, who previously tasted Tancred success with Preferment (2016) and Verry Elleegant (2020), holds a massive hand with five of the eight remaining runners.
Outside of the favourite, his best-backed runner is Soul Of Spain ($13).
Tommy Berry stays aboard the Phoenix Of Spain gelding, who enters this test following a massive fourth at 100/1 in the Verry Elleegant and a last-start second in the Sky High.
The 2026 Tancred Stakes is scheduled as Race 8 at 4:35 pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s 10-race Sydney program.
2026 Tancred Stakes Field & Barriers
| No | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Barrier | Weight | Age | Sex | Last Starts | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai Honour | Tom Marquand | William Haggas | 8 | 59kg | 8 | G | 2212x | $9,648,271 |
| 2 | Vauban | Tim Clark | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 3 | 59kg | 8 | G | 506×1 | $2,466,107 |
| 3 | Soul Of Spain | Tommy Berry | Chris Waller | 5 | 59kg | 5 | G | 3×942 | $613,195 |
| 4 | Wootton Verni | Nash Rawiller | Chris Waller | 3 | 59kg | 5 | G | 1×755 | $868,944 |
| 5 | Valiant King | Kerrin Mcevoy | Chris Waller | 4 | 59kg | 6 | G | 30×86 | $1,043,217 |
| 6 | Zarir | Sam Clipperton | Chris Waller | 1 | 59kg | 6 | G | 97×07 | $345,987 |
| 7 | River Of Stars | Jason Collett | Chris Waller | 2 | 57kg | 7 | M | 24×04 | $1,947,265 |
| 8 | Piggyback | Zac Lloyd | Ciaron Maher | 6 | 57kg | 5 | M | 8×514 | $587,850 |
| 9 | Aeliana | James McDonald | Chris Waller | 7 | 56.5kg | 4 | M | 6×221 | $3,534,775 |
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