Craig Williams will not be on the horse many expected him to ride at Randwick on Saturday. He will not be chasing a group 1 on the $1.60 favourite. Instead, the champion Victorian jockey will pull on the colours of a rank outsider at the request of two people he counts among his closest supporters, on and off the track.
The Surround Stakes over 1400 metres at Randwick shapes as one of the headline acts of the autumn carnival, with Godolphin's Tempted installed as a short-priced favourite following an effortless win in the Eskimo Prince Stakes three weeks ago. Williams, who famously called the Tempted a "future mega-superstar" after their runner-up effort behind Ka Ying Rising in The Everest last October, had even asked whether he could reclaim the ride. The answer was no. Chad Schofield won on her in the Eskimo Prince and has kept the booking.
Williams is philosophical about it. He will ride Queen Of Clubs, trained by Gary Portelli and available at $151 with the TAB, in the Surround. The filly carries the colours of Trilogy Racing, owned by Jason and Mel Stenning, a couple Williams describes as close personal friends and dedicated supporters of his work raising humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
"They are really good friends of mine and really good supporters of me riding and also of the work that we do in Ukraine. That's actually how we first met, so it's always great putting the colours on for Trilogy," Williams said.
The connection to Ukraine is not incidental. Williams and his Ukrainian-born wife, Larysa, have raised more than $3 million in humanitarian aid since Russia's invasion in 2022 and have made multiple personal trips to deliver assistance to communities affected by the conflict. For Williams, Saturday's ride is less about the odds and more about loyalty.
Still, he is under no illusions about the task. He knows better than most what Tempted is capable of. "I think Tempted's been the closest to Ka Ying Rising in recent times," he said. "We'll just try and find ways of seeing if she has any kinks in her armour."
Sir Delius shapes as genuine group 1 chance
Williams has stronger expectations for his other Randwick engagement. He partners Sir Delius in the group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes over 1600 metres, a race dominated in the market by the unbeaten Autumn Glow, who starts at $1.30 and is chasing a tenth career win and second group 1 success.
Sir Delius is rated at $6.50 and is considered the main threat to Autumn Glow, though co-trainer Adrian Bott has been measured in his expectations, indicating the Frankel five-year-old will be better for the run as connections target the Ranvet and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over longer trips.
Williams has travelled north three times to trial the horse ahead of Saturday and came away encouraged by the prospect of a wet track. Randwick was rated a soft 7 on Friday with further rain forecast, and Sir Delius has previous form on heavy going, winning in France and first-up at Doomben under those conditions.
"He's an easy horse to want to be associated with," Williams said. "I've had two race rides on him for two group 1 wins, and the calibre of horses he beat in those... we're not going to backtrack on it, but we thought we had the right horse for the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup last year, but we were unable to show everyone how good he was going."
Sir Delius was sensationally ruled out of the Melbourne spring carnival last year after failing mandatory veterinary scans, a frustrating end to what had been a highly promising campaign. He won the group 1 Underwood Stakes at 1800 metres and the Turnbull Stakes at 2000 metres before the scans delivered the blow.
Bott acknowledged the horse's preparation into this campaign differed from last spring but expressed confidence that Saturday would yield improvement. "He ran a good race last time first-up but he was still beaten," Bott said. "Going into this carnival, he's finished the campaign earlier than we expected last time, he's had a longer break, and that should serve him well."
Golden Slipper picture to sharpen at Randwick
The Waterhouse-Bott stable also has significant Golden Slipper business to attend to on Saturday, with four juveniles seeking prizemoney boosts to secure a start in the March 21 feature. Knightsbridge and Plagiarism contest the group 2 Skyline Stakes, while By Choice and Lumbini line up in the Sweet Embrace for fillies.
Bott said blinkers would go on Knightsbridge after the colt ran further back than expected in the Magic Millions Classic, and expressed confidence that Plagiarism, who was caught wide and tired late in the Inglis Millennium, would benefit from a cleaner passage. "Everyone gets their chance to put their hand up," Bott said, "and the one that does is probably the one you want to be on going forward."
Saturday's card at Randwick offers a window into the strength of Australian thoroughbred racing at its competitive peak. The Surround Stakes field, anchored by a horse of Tempted's class, and the Verry Elleegant, featuring the remarkable unbeaten Autumn Glow, reflect a depth of quality that justifies the attention the autumn carnival commands. For Williams, beyond the tactics and the odds, Saturday is also a reminder that sport at its best carries meaning well beyond the result.