A Closer Look for Real Punters – Champions Day

Posted on November 6, 2026November 6, 2026 | Posted by TABtouch

Brad Bishop takes a look at some of the hot-pots to have run at Flemington, brought to you by TABtouch.

The day after three ‘odds-onnies’ bit the dust, as happened at Flemington on Oaks Day, seems a rude time to be detailing a good run of favourites, but it has been a theme of this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Point Of Law was the first favourite to win the Melbourne Cup in 13 years when he won at $7 on Tuesday, which followed The Next Episode ($3.20), Stormy Marco ($4.40) and Lady Shenandoah ($1.85) winning the Derby Day features before Proxima Dea ($2.10) won Thursday’s VRC Oaks.

Never in the Group 1 era, which started in 1979, have all Group 1s on the first three days of the Carnival been won by the punters’ pick.

There won’t be any shortage of punters whose hopes of a winning Cup Week revolve around the theme continuing at Saturday’s Champions Day card.

One of Finals Day’s three Group 1s features one of the shortest-priced favourites Flemington has seen.

At 11am Friday, Champions Mile favourite Autumn Glow was $1.22 with TABtouch.

Only four horses have gone around at a shorter quote at Flemington in the 21st century.

Black Caviar holds the distinction of being the shortest, $1.05, when she won the 2011 Champions Sprint, while she was $1.10 in her final two Lightning wins and won the Newmarket Handicap at $1.18.

Winx’s only two starts at Flemington were in the Turnbull Stakes in 2017 and 2018, which she won at $1.20 and $1.10 respectively.

The only others to start shorter than Autumn Glow’s Friday quote are Sepoy, who was $1.14 when he won the 2011 Danehill Stakes, and Yonce, who won a support race on All-Star Mile Day 2022 at $1.18.

The shortest-priced favourite to be beaten at Flemington this century was Jimmysstar, who was $1.26 when second to 150/1 pop Makram in February 2024, while the only other to go under from 22 who have started sub-$1.40 is She’s An Artist, who was beaten at $1.30 in July last year.

The shortest-priced favourite to be beaten in a Group 1 at Flemington this century is Nature Strip, who could manage only fourth when $1.45 in the 2020 Black Caviar Lightning.

Autumn Glow is one of two odds-on favourites at Flemington on Saturday, joined by Tempted, who is TABtouch‘s $1.80 favourite for the Champions Sprint (1200m).

The other Group 1 is the Champions Stakes (2000m), where Aeliana is the $2.60 punters’ pick with TABtouch from Cox Plate winner Cosmic Crusader ($3.30).

Day 4 has not been light-on for short-priced favourites since being rebadged Champions Day in 2022 and things didn’t get off to a great start when Nature Strip was beaten at $1.75 in the Sprint, Private Eye went under at $2.20 in the Mile and Anamoe failed at $2.35 in the Stakes.

Punters have hit back since with the only others to start $2.35 or shorter being Via Sistina, who won the Stakes at $1.60 and $1.80 the past two years, and Imperatriz, who was $2.35 when she won the Sprint in 2023.