Big Dance 2026 - Latest Form
Every run adds another piece to the picture.
As the Big Dance approaches, we’re following the qualified horses through their final races, trials and preparations—while keeping an eye on those still trying to earn their place.
Before each weekend or any relevant midweek races, we’ll look ahead to the runners taking their place. Afterwards, we’ll return with our Race Day Co review of what those performances may mean on the Road to Randwick.
LATEST UPDATE
Big Dance 2026 | Weekend Watch
17 October 2026
Everest Day produced a little of everything for the horses on our Road to Randwick watch: one outstanding victory, several encouraging performances and a few that left us looking for improvement. _________________ The clear highlight came in the final race, where Cross Tasman delivered an emphatic win. But there were also worthwhile efforts from Ticklebelly, Churchill’s Choice and Carravilla, while the Big Dance Wild Card provided one final qualifying opportunity for Palmetto and Mazis. _______________ Palmetto Randwick — Race 1, Big Dance Wild Card, 1600m 5th, beaten 5.8 lengths — 5/10 Palmetto enjoyed a good run along the fence and appeared ready to make his presence felt as the field entered the straight. He threatened briefly but was unable to finish the race off strongly enough, eventually holding fifth. It was a somewhat disappointing result given the economical passage, and with only the first two horses gaining entry through the Wild Card, Palmetto did not secure a place in the Big Dance. ___________________ Mazis Randwick — Race 1, Big Dance Wild Card, 1600m 8th, beaten 8.7 lengths — 5/10 Mazis experienced almost the opposite race to Palmetto. After settling at the rear, he remained well back approaching the turn before making some late ground. He was running on through the closing stages without ever threatening the leaders. There was some merit in the finish, but he was unable to take advantage of the final qualifying opportunity. _________________ Churchill’s Choice Randwick — Race 3, Group 3 Angst Stakes, 1600m 6th, beaten 2.4 lengths — 6/10 Churchill’s Choice produced a mixed but ultimately respectable performance. After beginning only fairly, she settled near the rear along the fence and raced keenly before the turn. When Regan Bayliss first asked her to improve near the 500 metres, she appeared to be struggling and briefly looked in danger of dropping away. Instead, she regained interest passing the 300 metres and finished the race off strongly. Her early keenness cost her, but the way she recovered late was encouraging, and she was beaten only 2.4 lengths in Group 3 company. __________________ Ticklebelly Randwick — Race 5, The Kosciuszko, 1200m 7th, beaten 3.5 lengths — 6/10 From barrier eleven, Ticklebelly jumped well and worked hard during the opening 400 metres to cross the field and take the lead. She maintained a strong tempo and continued to give a good account of herself until being overwhelmed inside the final 100 metres. Considering the early work required and the quality of the opposition, there was plenty of merit in the performance. Tommy Berry described her effort as honest and felt the dry track and 1200 metres were a little sharp for her. That makes this an encouraging lead-in rather than a disappointing result. If she gains a Big Dance start, she could still surprise. __________________ Cross Tasman Randwick — Race 10, Benchmark 88, 1400m 1st by 1.7 lengths — 9.5/10 Cross Tasman produced the performance of the day from our watched runners. Despite drawing wide and carrying 60kg, he travelled strongly under Zac Lloyd before taking control near the 200 metres. He accelerated clear of the field and was able to be eased down approaching the line, winning with considerable authority. The addition of blinkers appeared to have the desired effect, producing a sharp and professional performance. It was an outstanding final trial for whichever Dance assignment awaits him. _________________ Rolling Magic Randwick — Race 10, Benchmark 88, 1400m 14th, beaten 5.8 lengths — 3/10 Rolling Magic settled at the tail shortly after the start and remained there throughout. He was unable to improve over the rise and merely worked to the line without threatening. It was a disappointing performance at an important stage of the campaign, and considerable improvement would be required from here. ___________________ Carravilla Doomben — Race 4, One Metro Win Handicap, 1600m 4th, beaten 2 lengths — 6.5/10 Carravilla’s race developed into a muddling affair. She worked hard from her barrier to take up a position close to the lead before the tempo eased. Carravilla maintained that prominent position around the turn and appeared ready to challenge passing the 250 metres. She then found herself crowded as several runners made their moves, but continued fighting strongly to the line. The winner proved too good, although Carravilla’s fourth was another honest performance and kept her Big Dance preparation moving in the right direction. _________________ Race Day Co's Take Cross Tasman was unquestionably the standout, turning a succession of second placings into a dominant and timely victory. Ticklebelly’s performance was better than her finishing position suggests, Churchill’s Choice recovered well after doing things wrong, and Carravilla remained honest under a substantial weight. For Palmetto and Mazis, the Wild Card opportunity passed without qualification, while Rolling Magic now has something to prove. With the final field drawing closer, every run is adding another important piece to the Big Dance picture.
Big Dance 2026 | Weekend Watch
10 October 2026
With Randwick drawing closer, Saturday provided another fascinating examination of our Big Dance contenders. Eight horses across three states were in action, and while the finishing positions tell part of the story, there was considerably more to take from several of these performances. ___________________ Rosehill | Race 8 Formal Display | 9/10 A tremendous performance to claim victory in a race packed with quality. Formal Display delivered when it mattered, producing the strongest result of our Saturday runners and making a compelling case for his Big Dance credentials. A thoroughly convincing trial with Randwick approaching. Magnetar | 8/10 One of the most encouraging performances of the afternoon. Magnetar loomed as a genuine winning chance before finishing a terrific fourth. There was plenty to admire about the effort against strong opposition, and he certainly deserves to remain prominent in our Big Dance calculations. Gringotts | 7/10 An encouraging return to racing from a horse with established class. Gringotts travelled nicely enough to suggest the outing will provide valuable improvement in fitness. We’d particularly welcome another run before Randwick, but there was nothing here to dampen our enthusiasm for his prospects. Hedley Grange | 6/10 A respectable seventh, finishing just 2.2 lengths from the winner in a competitive contest. Although unable to threaten the leading division, Hedley Grange was far from disgraced. Another useful piece of preparation against quality opposition. Race Day Co Watch: Four classy contenders, four worthwhile Big Dance trials. Formal Display takes the honours, but Magnetar’s performance was particularly noteworthy. ___________________ Caulfield | Race 9 Hellsing | 7/10 Don’t be too concerned by the second-last placing. Hellsing endured a stop-start passage despite initially enjoying a reasonable position. Hard ridden approaching the turn, he lost momentum before recovering, only to find himself caught behind a wall of horses when attempting to improve. Finishing just 4.3 lengths from the winner, this was a better performance than the result suggests. Race Day Co Watch: A forgiving assessment. There may be more to this run than the form guide will reveal, particularly when viewed as part of a longer Big Dance preparation. ___________________ Caulfield | Race 10 Bianca Vilano | 6/10 A fair effort to finish seventh, only three lengths from the winner. The jockey was particularly vigorous in keeping Bianca Vilano in contention, and while a stronger finish would have been encouraging, the horse encountered traffic behind a wall of runners. Not an outstanding performance, but certainly not one to dismiss. Race Day Co Watch: Some merit in the effort, although we’d like to see a little more finishing strength before becoming overly enthusiastic. ___________________ Eagle Farm | Race 8 Golden Cross | 6/10 A fair to good performance after settling at the rear and producing a sustained run through the field. Golden Cross never genuinely looked the winner, but continued to make ground towards the finish under hands-and-heels riding. The willingness to keep improving was encouraging, even if the overall performance fell short of the afternoon’s standout efforts. Race Day Co Watch: An honest effort with enough late improvement to warrant continued observation. ___________________ Eagle Farm | Race 10 Fukubana | 8/10 A particularly encouraging Big Dance trial. Fukubana finished a determined second after sustaining a strong run out wide, maintaining the effort all the way to the line. There was plenty of purpose about the performance, and the ability to keep finding ground late was a notable positive. Race Day Co Watch: One of Saturday’s better performances. A strong, sustained finishing effort that deserves serious consideration as Randwick approaches. ___________________ The Weekend Verdict Formal Display earns our highest rating with a deserved victory, while Magnetar and Fukubana also emerge with considerable credit. Gringotts looks capable of improving with another run, and Hellsing’s finishing position may well disguise the true merit of his performance. Eight runners, eight more pieces of the Big Dance puzzle. And as we keep discovering, it’s not always the horse finishing closest to the winner that gives us the most interesting story.
Big Dance 2026 | Weekend Watch
Review 5 October 2026
The weekend’s racing gave us a little of everything: several encouraging performances, a few runs that raised questions and two horses whose days ended before they began. _________________ A tightly packed finish at Moruya Our watch began at Moruya, where Acheson and Alottosay contested Friday’s 1300-metre Legend of the South on a Soft 7 track. Acheson carried 59kg and finished sixth, beaten 2.3 lengths, while Alottosay crossed the line ninth with 55kg, 3.4 lengths from the winner. The finishing positions may appear modest, but the field was tightly grouped behind the first two and neither horse was comprehensively beaten. They were useful appearances without providing a compelling reason to move either horse significantly forward in our Big Dance thinking. ____________ The Randwick mile provides our clearest clues The Group 1 Epsom Handicap produced the most interesting performances of the weekend. Plymouth delivered the standout result among our qualified runners, finishing fourth at enormous odds and only 2.83 lengths behind the winner, God’s Window. It was a considerable rise in company, yet Plymouth handled the occasion and finished alongside some highly regarded horses. That performance deserves to be remembered when the final Big Dance picture comes together. ________________ Mr Miller was equally honest, finishing fifth and only 2.99 lengths from the winner. He travelled into the race strongly enough and stayed in the contest to the line. Mr Miller remains on our broader watch rather than the qualified list, but this was another performance suggesting he belongs in the conversation. _____________ Fully Lit’s eighth placing reads worse than the run itself. He was still right among the leading group deep into the straight before the stronger Group 1 performers gained the upper hand over the final stages. He finished only 3.83 lengths from the winner—and less than one length behind fourth-placed Plymouth. It was a sound effort in demanding company and certainly not a run that weakens his Big Dance credentials. ____________ Perfumist never became involved and finished sixteenth, beaten 16.78 lengths. It was well below the standard of the form that brought him into the race, so we will treat it cautiously until there is further information or another run to assess. ____________ Hellsing was withdrawn from the Epsom and therefore gave us no new form to consider. A mixed picture earlier on the card ____________ In the 1600-metre Benchmark 94, I’mintowin produced a solid performance under 59.5kg. From barrier thirteen, he finished fourth behind the short-priced winner Unleeshing, beaten 3.43 lengths. Considering the weight and draw, there was enough merit in the run to keep his preparation moving in the right direction. _______________ The same cannot be said for Mighty Ulysses. He became detached from the field and finished last, beaten 29.62 lengths. It was too far below his expected level to accept at face value, and we would want to see the stewards’ comments or hear from the stable before trying to explain it. _______________ Uzziah was scratched from the final race and did not add another run to his campaign. ______________ A difficult afternoon at Flemington The Heavy 8 conditions at Flemington provided a very different examination. Asterix struggled badly in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes, finishing last and more than 43 lengths from the winner. Like Mighty Ulysses, the performance was too poor to interpret as ordinary form. We will wait for an explanation before deciding what it means for his preparation. _______________ Just Party finished eighth in the Listed Paris Lane Stakes, beaten 8.66 lengths. He failed to make a serious impression, although the testing conditions should be kept in mind when assessing the result. ________________ What we take from the weekend Plymouth was the weekend’s eye-catcher, while Mr Miller, Fully Lit and I’mintowin all produced performances containing genuine merit. At the other end of the picture, Mighty Ulysses, Perfumist and Asterix will need to show that their disappointing results were temporary setbacks rather than signs that their preparations have stalled. That is the value of following these horses from one appearance to the next. Not every result supplies an answer—but every run adds another piece to the picture on the Road to Randwick.
