Underwood Stakes 2026 - Barrier Draw & Final Field

Alex Marsh

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Last updated: Wed 16 Sep 2026 01:59

Alex Marsh 1 hour ago

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The Underwood Stakes brings Group 1 weight-for-age racing to Caulfield over 1800m
Barrier draw and final field have been released for the Saturday, September 19 feature
Several major spring contenders use the race as an important stepping stone to longer targets

Buckaroo has drawn barrier eight in the 2026 Underwood Stakes. (Getty)

The 2026 Underwood Stakes brings together a strong weight-for-age field over 1800m at Caulfield on Saturday, September 19, with several established Group 1 performers continuing their spring campaigns.

Underwood Stakes 2026 - Barriers & Final Field
Underwood Stakes History

Cosmic Crusader (barrier 3) is one of the headline runners after an outstanding start to his first Melbourne preparation, winning both the Bletchingly Stakes and P.B. Lawrence Stakes before finishing third in the Memsie Stakes.

The Andrea Leek-trained gelding was forced to come from well back in the Memsie and still worked home strongly, while the rise to 1800m is significant given he won last season's Group 1 Northerly Stakes over the same distance in Perth.

Birdman (barrier 4) and Buckaroo (barrier 8) both head into the Underwood second-up after making ground to finish sixth and fifth respectively in the Memsie Stakes, with the Chris Waller pair subsequently kept up to the mark in a Flemington jumpout.

Buckaroo has particularly strong form in this race, having won the Underwood in 2024 before returning to finish runner-up in the 2025 edition, while Birdman has already shown his liking for Caulfield by winning the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes there earlier this year.

Aeliana (barrier 6) steps up sharply in distance after resuming over 1400m in the Winx Stakes at Randwick, with Chris Waller always expected to build her towards longer assignments through the spring.

The extra ground looks much more suitable for the multiple Group 1 winner, who established herself among the country's leading middle-distance horses during the autumn with victories in the Ranvet Stakes and Tancred Stakes.

Lindermann (barrier 1) brings strong recent form into the race after winning the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes over 1600m at Randwick, giving Waller another serious chance in a race where his stable is particularly well represented.

Kingswood (barrier 9), Middle Earth (barrier 5) and Attrition (barrier 7) provide further depth among the middle-distance runners, while Pinstriped (barrier 2) steps to 1800m after three good perfomances to open his campaign.

The Underwood Stakes again shapes as a significant guide towards the longer Group 1 features to come, with the race positioned at an important stage of the preparation for several runners building towards their major spring targets.

Underwood Stakes 2026 - Barriers & Final Field

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1	Lindermann	Chris Waller	Blake Shinn	1	59kg
2	Buckaroo (GB)	Chris Waller	Mark Zahra	8	59kg
3	Attrition	Mitchell Freedman	Jamie Mott	7	59kg
4	Pinstriped	Enver Jusufovic	Lachlan Neindorf	2	59kg
5	Cosmic Crusader (NZ)	Andrea Leek	William Pike	3	59kg
6	Birdman (IRE)	Chris Waller	Ben Melham	4	59kg
7	Middle Earth (GB)	Ciaron Maher	Ethan Brown	5	59kg
8	Kingswood (GB)	Gavin Bedggood	John Allen	9	59kg
9	Aeliana (NZ)	Chris Waller	Damian Lane	6	57kg

Underwood Stakes History

The Underwood Stakes carries plenty of prestige in its own right as a Group 1 weight-for-age feature, while also serving as an important form reference for several of the major races later in the Melbourne spring.

First run in 1924 and won by Whittier, who successfully defended his title the following year, the race quickly became established as one of Caulfield’s key weight-for-age contests.

Now staged over 1800m, the Underwood Stakes regularly attracts horses building towards races such as the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Turnbull Stakes, with the winner also earning ballot exemption for the Caulfield Cup.

Its honour roll features some of the biggest names in Australian racing, including Phar Lap, Ajax, Bonecrusher, Octagonal and So You Think, highlighting the quality traditionally associated with the event.

The race’s September position also makes it a valuable stepping stone for horses stretching out in distance after beginning their preparations in shorter weight-for-age assignments.

The most recent winners are Alligator Blood in 2023, Buckaroo in 2024 and Sir Delius, who took out the 2025 edition at Caulfield.