Verry Elleegant Stakes 2026 Betting Tips - Is There Value Outside of Autumn Glow?

Alex Marsh

Editor

Last updated: Wed 25 Feb 2026 09:45

Alex Marsh 25 Feb 2026

Share this article

The 2026 Verry Elleegant Stakes headlines Sydney’s Group 1 kickoff with Autumn Glow as the favourite
Notable contenders include Sir Delius and Ceolwulf, enhancing the race's competitive edge
Trinity College presents value as a potential surprise in wagers, complementing a strong field

Expired

Autumn Glow is a dominant favourite in the Verry Elleegant Stakes market. (Getty)

The Verry Elleegant Stakes headlines the first Group 1 meeting of the year in Sydney on Saturday, February 28, launching the autumn carnival with a high-class weight-for-age contest at Randwick.

2026 Verry Elleegant Stakes Tips
2026 Verry Elleegant Stakes Field & Odds

A compact but star-studded field has assembled for the mile feature, headlined by unbeaten mare Autumn Glow, returning star Sir Delius and proven Group 1 performers including Ceolwulf, ensuring an early-season clash rich in quality and intrigue.

At $1.35 with Ladbrokes, Autumn Glow is favourite to win the 2026 Verry Elleegant Stakes.

2026 Verry Elleegant Stakes Tips

A good spectacle awaits as we see Autumn Glow aim to stretch her unbeaten run to ten. The prospect of genuine wet ground is perhaps the query, albeit she was a first-up Heavy 10 winner last campaign over a trip well short of her best.

Clearly the one to beat, she is also very short in the market, approaching a $1.30 quote, especially given the addition of Sir Delius, an interesting resumer who has quickly established himself as one of Australia’s most exciting prospects, highlighted by a dominant Group 1 Turnbull Stakes victory at Flemington.

He was ruled out of both the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup after compulsory veterinary scans identified a potential injury risk, prompting connections to withdraw him from the spring carnival.

The other logical contender is Ceolwulf, a four-time Group 1 winner over this distance who handles all surfaces. A lack of first-up form makes the Apollo Stakes return an easy one to forgive, and there was also blood present in the nostrils post-race.

I suspect we see a fully screwed-down Ceolwulf in a start or two when the blinkers go back on; however, he is a two-time second-up winner and warrants respect under WFA conditions as one of Australia’s premier milers.

Two of his three Group 1 victories have come over this track-and-trip, while his last success was on a testing Heavy 9 in the Champions Mile at Flemington, a narrow triumph over Pericles, last week’s Futurity winner.

Aeliana sits on the third line of betting. She hasn’t saluted since her Australian Derby romp last autumn but was still consistent early in the season and opened this campaign with a second to Autumn Glow, albeit well held.

Of the Chris Waller-trained longshots (he has all but two runners in the race), Trinity College is the Australian debutant, an ex-Aidan O’Brien-trained galloper who was a Group 3 winner at Royal Ascot in 2025.

Sold to Yulong after a narrow Group 1 defeat in France, his trials have all been pass marks in strong heats, and he hasn’t been knocked around in those summer hit-outs.

Brought to Australia with a résumé strong enough to step straight into WFA company, they’ll get a guide on his autumn aspirations on Saturday, with the Queen Elizabeth Stakes seemingly the target.

It’s not the most appealing betting race for punters, with a short yet obvious favourite, but if looking for an each-way spec or value for exotics, Trinity College could be the value runner.

2026 Verry Elleegant Stakes - Field & Odds

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Ceolwulf (NZ)	Joseph Pride	Chad Schofield	2	59kg	$12
2	Sir Delius (GB)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Craig Williams	6	59kg	$6.50
3	Lindermann	Chris Waller	Nash Rawiller	8	59kg	$16
4	Wootton Verni (FR)	Chris Waller	Adam Hyeronimus	7	59kg	$126
5	Soul Of Spain (IRE)	Chris Waller	Tommy Berry	5	59kg	$201
6	Valiant King (GB)	Chris Waller	Sam Clipperton	9	59kg	$201
7	Trinity College (IRE)	Chris Waller	Tim Clark	4	58.5kg	$61
8	Autumn Glow	Chris Waller	James McDonald	3	57kg	$1.35
9	Aeliana (NZ)	Chris Waller	Zac Lloyd	1	57kg	$11