TAB Champions Stakes Day TAB Champions Stakes Day

A day when the best weight-for-age horses lined up to do battle – and where the stories around the winners will live long in the memory of those who witnessed an incredible two hours of back-to-back Group 1s.

An air of incredulity swept across the packed grandstands as perennial giant killer Roch ‘N’Horse toppled odds-on favourite Nature Strip to claim the Darley Champions Sprint. The milers then took centrestage in what was expected to be a race in two between My Oberon and Private Eye – until the late money for Alligator Blood saw the second favourite get his own Flemington redemption and win the Kennedy Champions Mile.

And so onto the TAB Champions Stakes over the 2000m. The much-awaited rematch between I’m Thunderstruck and Anamoe would surely put the world back on its axis with one of the two favourites saluting? But a clever rail-hugging run from the front by Jamie Kah on Zaaki, gave the Annabel Neasham gelding consecutive victories in the feature - and another incredible story was written.