Underwood Stakes 2026 Betting Tips - Cosmic Crusader Can Strike Back
The 2026 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield presents a competitive G1 lineup, with quality horses stretching out to 1800m as part of their spring preps. Cosmic Crusader is favored ($2.75) thanks to strong early form and a better draw, while Pinstriped emerges as the value bet after three solid runs this campaign. Key rivals include Lindermann, Birdman, Buckaroo, and Aeliana. The recommendation is Cosmic Crusader on top, with Pinstriped for value, as recent form and distance profiles shape betting confidence.
- The Underwood Stakes brings a handy Group 1 weight-for-age field to Caulfield over 1800m
- Cosmic Crusader heads betting after a strong start to his Melbourne preparation
- Full betting preview includes our best bet and value selection for Saturday’s feature
Will Cosmic Crusader bounce back in the Underwood Stakes? (Getty)
The 2026 Underwood Stakes brings together a strong weight-for-age field over 1800m at Caulfield on Saturday, with several runners stepping up in distance as their spring campaigns begin to take shape.
Cosmic Crusader comes through the Memsie Stakes after winning his first two Melbourne starts this preparation, while Lindermann, Birdman, Aeliana and Buckaroo add further depth to a competitive Group 1.
For the 2026 Underwood Stakes, Cosmic Crusader heads the market at $2.75 with Picklebet.
2026 Underwood Stakes Tips
2026 Underwood Stakes Best Bet - Cosmic Crusader
There was plenty of discussion around William Pike’s ride on Cosmic Crusader in the Memsie Stakes, and while pressing forward from barrier 11 would have suited the way that leader-dominated race unfolded, the gelding still lost little in defeat.
After being taken back to last and inconvenienced around the 600m, he had plenty of ground to make up but closed strongly for third behind Beiwacht, having already won the Bletchingly Stakes and P.B. Lawrence Stakes at his first two Melbourne starts.
Staying at 1400m for the third run of his preparation may also have worked against him, and the step to 1800m fourth-up looks a much better fit, given he followed a seven-furlong-to-1800m pattern when winning the Group 1 Northerly Stakes in Perth last December.
Barrier three gives Pike the chance to have him much closer this time, and with Lindermann drawn inside as the obvious frontrunner, Cosmic Crusader should be able to stay within reach of that leader.
With the right grounding, a more suitable distance and a better draw than he had in the Memsie, Cosmic Crusader gets his chance to convert the strong lead-up form and deserves his position at the head of betting.
2026 Underwood Stakes Value Bet - Pinstriped
After looking out of form for a period, Pinstriped has put together three encouraging runs to begin this preparation and comes into the Underwood with a stronger fitness base than most of his rivals.
The eight-year-old carried a big weight when resuming over 1400m at Caulfield before improving in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes, where he was the pick of the closers behind Cosmic Crusader and recorded the fastest final 200m.
Connections bypassed the Memsie Stakes and instead went to the So You Think Stakes over 1500m at Sandown, where he finished 1.8 lengths behind Evaporate and was still working through the line strongly enough to suggest another rise in distance is worth trying.
He has only raced once previously over 1800m and finished third, but three runs into this campaign should give him the grounding required to see out the trip, particularly against several rivals still building towards later spring targets.
Barrier two should allow Lachlan Neindorf to settle him in the first few pairs without spending much early energy, and at a bigger price, Pinstriped has enough in his recent form to warrant consideration as the value runner.
2026 Underwood Stakes - Field & Odds
| No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lindermann | Chris Waller | Blake Shinn | 1 | 59kg | $3.50 |
| 2 | Buckaroo (GB) | Chris Waller | Mark Zahra | 8 | 59kg | $12 |
| 3 | Attrition | Mitchell Freedman | Jamie Mott | 7 | 59kg | $126 |
| 4 | Pinstriped | Enver Jusufovic | Lachlan Neindorf | 2 | 59kg | $34 |
| 5 | Cosmic Crusader (NZ) | Andrea Leek | William Pike | 3 | 59kg | $2.75 |
| 6 | Birdman (IRE) | Chris Waller | Ben Melham | 4 | 59kg | $5.50 |
| 7 | Middle Earth (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Ethan Brown | 5 | 59kg | $67 |
| 8 | Kingswood (GB) | Gavin Bedggood | John Allen | 9 | 59kg | $19 |
| 9 | Aeliana (NZ) | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 6 | 57kg | $6 |
Odds courtesy of Picklebet & correct on 16/09/2026.
Verdict
Our tips for the 2026 Underwood Stakes are:
Cosmic Crusader
To Win
$2.75 - 5 Units
Same Game & Race Multis
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Pinstriped
Each Way
$34.00 - 1 Unit
Same Game & Race Multis
Use affiliate code BETSAU
Exciting new betting app now live. Use code BETSAU on sign-up. 18+ only. T&Cs apply. Imagine what you could be buying instead.
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