Golden Rose 2026 Review: Warwoven Announces Himself as a Spring Star
Warwoven produced one of the performances of the Australian spring so far with a dominant Golden Rose 2026 victory at Rosehill, while Jimmysstar, Pride Of Jenni, Skyhook, Blue Door and a host of emerging contenders made their own statements across a huge weekend of racing.
The road to the heart of the 2026 Spring Carnival became considerably clearer over the weekend.
Rosehill Gardens hosted Saturday’s headline act, the Group 1 Yulong Golden Rose (1400m), before attention shifted south to Caulfield on Sunday for a meeting featuring the Group 1 Manikato Stakes and several important spring lead-ups. And if there was one horse who emerged from the weekend demanding to be taken seriously, it was Warwoven.
Warwoven blows the Golden Rose apart.
Bjorn Baker’s three-year-old arrived at Rosehill having already won The Run To The Rose, but his Golden Rose performance represented another step entirely.
Ridden by Rachel King, Warwoven settled comfortably from barrier one before King found the opportunity she needed in the straight. Once clear, the response was immediate.
Warwoven accelerated away from a high-quality field to defeat St Gotthard by 3¼ lengths, with Under Focus narrowly holding third. He stopped the clock at 1:20.93, running his final 600 metres in 34.83 seconds. It completed the Run To The Rose–Golden Rose double and delivered Warwoven his first Group 1.
More importantly for the spring ahead, the performance suggested the 1400 metres was far from the limit of his range. King was able to get Warwoven to switch off despite being momentarily locked away on the fence, and once the gap appeared, the race was effectively over.
The winning jockey described him afterwards as a horse with an exceptional turn of foot and indicated she believes he can handle further than 1400 metres. That could prove important.
Trainer Bjorn Baker confirmed the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 10 is the immediate target, where Warwoven is expected to meet another highly regarded three-year-old in Blind Raise.
Baker has also left the door open to something considerably more ambitious: a possible Cox Plate (2040m) campaign should the colt continue to progress.
Golden Rose 2026 result
1st — Warwoven — Bjorn Baker / Rachel King
2nd — St Gotthard — Chris Waller / James McDonald
3rd — Under Focus — Kris Lees / Dylan Gibbons
Winning time: 1:20.93
Winning margin: 3¼ lengths
Last 600m: 34.83 seconds
Watch the 2026 Golden Rose
Watch the full Golden Rose replay from Sky Racing:
Watch: 2026 Golden Rose – Sky Racing
Don’t forget St Gotthard
The margin says Warwoven dominated the Golden Rose. It shouldn’t mean punters immediately dismiss the horse that chased him home. St Gotthard’s second was full of merit.
James McDonald reported that interference around the 800-metre mark took momentum out of the colt after he had been travelling strongly. Despite that, St Gotthard recovered sufficiently to finish second.
McDonald described the run as outstanding and believes the Chris Waller-trained colt will continue to improve. That makes the prospect of another Warwoven–St Gotthard clash over 1600 metres particularly interesting.
Under Focus also deserves respect after finishing third. Dylan Gibbons described him as still being raw, which leaves considerable upside if he continues to mature through the campaign.
What happened to Golden Rose favourite Guest House?
Golden Slipper winner Guest House went into the Golden Rose as favourite but finished sixth, 5.55 lengths behind Warwoven. The result probably deserves more context than the finishing position alone provides.
Zac Lloyd reported that Guest House initially travelled well behind Warwoven, but when the tempo eased around the side of the course, the colt became keen and then bumped with St Gotthard.
Lloyd said the incident took energy out of both horses and Guest House was unable to finish the race off. It was disappointing on face value, but there were enough circumstances in running to make writing him off after one defeat premature.
Bjorn Baker dominates Golden Rose Day
Warwoven may have supplied the Group 1 headline, but the Golden Rose was actually the third stakes victory of a remarkable afternoon for the Bjorn Baker stable.
Earlier, Blue Door produced a serious sprinting performance in the Group 3 Heritage Stakes before So You Are continued his progression through the staying ranks in the Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality.
Those performances give Baker live chances across three very different sections of the Spring Carnival.
Blue Door puts her hand up for The Everest
Few performances on the Rosehill undercard were more visually impressive than Blue Door’s Heritage Stakes victory. The three-year-old filly led under Nash Rawiller and then accelerated away, defeating Ciaron’s Star by 2¼ lengths.
The numbers reinforced what the eye saw. Blue Door ran the 1100 metres in 1:02.64, including a sharp 33.37-second final 600 metres. Baker subsequently floated the possibility of tackling The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 17 if a slot becomes available.
Whether connections take that route remains to be seen, but Blue Door’s natural speed makes her one of the more intriguing young sprinters to emerge this spring.
Racing Fans watch: Blue Door.
So You Are keeps climbing the staying ladder
At the opposite end of the distance spectrum, stablemate So You Are strengthened his credentials as an emerging spring stayer. The five-year-old carried top weight to victory in the Colin Stephen Quality over 2400 metres, holding off Amplify by a half-neck. His time was 2:28.95, with a final 600 metres of 35.25 seconds.
Baker has indicated Melbourne’s major Cups remain on the radar, although gaining a Caulfield Cup start could prove difficult from his current position in the order of entry. The ATC St Leger over 2600 metres is another potential option.
Rachel King believes the gelding is still learning his craft as a stayer. That’s arguably the most interesting part of the performance: there could still be improvement to come.
Skyhook stamps himself as a Golden Eagle horse
Another horse who left Rosehill with his spring stocks enhanced was Skyhook. The four-year-old controlled the Group 2 Shannon Stakes from the front under Kerrin McEvoy and then powered away to defeat Estadio Mestalla by three lengths, with Private Eye third.
Skyhook ran 1500 metres in 1:28.58 and came home in 33.50 seconds for his final 600 metres. Gerald Ryan believes the gelding has gone to another level this preparation, while his ability to race on different surfaces and adopt different tactical positions gives connections considerable flexibility.
The Golden Eagle is now firmly in focus. He is becoming exactly the type of horse Racing Fans should continue following through the spring: progressive, tactically adaptable and seemingly still improving.
Lazzura continues to deliver
Chris Waller’s Lazzura added another stakes victory to her record in the Group 2 Golden Pendant. Ridden by James McDonald, the mare defeated Verona Rose, with Modella third.
Lazzura has now won stakes races in every season in which she has raced and pushed her career earnings beyond $2 million. With the major mares’ races approaching later in the carnival, she remains one to keep firmly on the radar.
How Rosehill played
Rosehill was officially listed as a Soft 5 earlier in the meeting, with the rail in the true position, before improving to a Good 4 by the Golden Rose.
Importantly, the results did not suggest that there was only one way to win. Blue Door was able to use her natural speed and control the Heritage Stakes from the front.
Skyhook also successfully dictated the Shannon Stakes, while Warwoven was able to settle behind the speed before producing his acceleration. That makes the performances of the major winners particularly useful from a form perspective rather than simply attributing results to an extreme track pattern.
Warwoven’s ability to relax and accelerate is especially relevant as he heads towards 1600 metres.
Sunday at Caulfield: Jimmysstar is back
If Warwoven owned Saturday, Jimmysstar produced Sunday’s biggest sprinting statement. The Ciaron Maher-trained galloper returned to Group 1-winning form with a spectacular last-to-first victory in the Manikato Stakes (1200m).
Ethan Brown allowed Jimmysstar to settle at the rear after a poor beginning before unleashing him late. The gelding swept past his rivals to record his fourth Group 1 victory, his first win since last year’s C.F. Orr Stakes. The addition of blinkers attracted attention before the race, but Maher felt the bigger factor was allowing Jimmysstar to race in the manner that suits him: conserve energy early and unleash his sprint late.
Extragalactic ran another strong race to finish second, while defending Manikato champion Charm Stone was third despite covering ground. Favourite Beiwacht led but weakened into ninth. Nash Rawiller reported afterwards that he couldn’t get Beiwacht into his usual rhythm.
The obvious next target for Jimmysstar is now The Everest at Randwick on October 17, with Maher indicating that is the likely direction.
Pride Of Jenni reminds everyone exactly who she is
And then there is Pride Of Jenni. Now nine years old, the extraordinary mare returned from a spell and immediately produced another trademark front-running performance to claim her third consecutive Feehan Stakes (1600m).
Declan Bates allowed her to roll in front and the race was effectively run on her terms. When the pressure arrived, Pride Of Jenni accelerated again and put the race away. For a nine-year-old mare returning for another campaign, it was an outstanding statement.
Ciaron Maher believes she has returned in at least comparable form to previous preparations, which makes her one of the major horses to follow as the weight-for-age races intensify.
The same race produced a less encouraging result for Mr Brightside, who finished last. Co-trainer Will Hayes said the stable will assess how the nine-year-old comes through the run before determining his next move. Connections noted that a firmer surface may not have been ideal, while Craig Williams reported the gelding had felt good before failing to produce his customary finish.
That makes his next appearance—or the stable’s decision about his campaign—one of the important developments to monitor this week.
Diameter joins the Caulfield Guineas conversation
Warwoven won’t necessarily have things his own way when he reaches Melbourne. Chris Waller’s Diameter won Sunday’s Group 2 Stutt Stakes over 1600 metres, wearing down stablemate Somethings Burnin’ under James McDonald.
Waller indicated the Caulfield Guineas is the logical next step. That sets up an increasingly interesting three-year-old contest. Warwoven arrives off a devastating Golden Rose.
Diameter has now demonstrated his ability around Caulfield and over the Guineas distance. And Blind Raise remains another major part of the equation. October 10 is shaping as an important three-year-old form reference for the remainder of spring.
How Caulfield played
Caulfield raced on a Good 4 with the rail 13 metres out for the entire circuit.
Again, the feature results demonstrated that different racing patterns could succeed. Pride Of Jenni dominated from the front. Diameter was able to work through his race and finish strongly. And Jimmysstar came from last to win the Manikato.
That last-to-first Manikato performance is significant when assessing the meeting because it demonstrates that horses weren’t necessarily required to dominate from the front to win despite the rail being well out.
Around Australia
Away from Rosehill and Caulfield, there were several other performances worth noting.
At Mornington, Danny O’Brien’s Hurry Curry secured her first black-type victory in the Listed R.M. Ansett Classic over 2400 metres. Lachlan Neindorf found a valuable position behind the leader and the Savabeel mare defeated Sunset Park and Beach Pad. Connections indicated the 2800-metre Australian Heritage Cup on Melbourne Cup Day could now be considered.
In Queensland, Let’sfacethemusic delivered a memorable local victory in the Listed Weetwood Handicap at Toowoomba for the Corey and Kylie Geran stable, ridden by Gary Geran.
Cavalry Man also produced a tough performance to take out the Toowoomba Cup.
The national racing program also included meetings at Belmont in Western Australia and Murray Bridge in South Australia, but from a Spring Carnival perspective the strongest form signals unquestionably came from the stakes-heavy Rosehill and Caulfield programs.
Racing Fans Spring Watch: who emerged from the weekend?
WARWOVEN — Caulfield Guineas / possible Cox Plate
The headline horse of the weekend.
His Golden Rose acceleration was elite, but arguably the most encouraging aspect was how comfortably he relaxed before producing it.
The Caulfield Guineas is confirmed as his next major assignment, and that race should tell us much more about how far his spring can go.
JIMMYSSTAR — The Everest
Back to something approaching his devastating best.
Coming from last to win a Group 1 sprint makes the Manikato one of the weekend’s most important performances ahead of The Everest.
PRIDE OF JENNI — Weight-for-age features
Nine years old. First-up. Straight back to the front.
Nothing about Sunday’s return suggested Pride Of Jenni has lost the racing style that has made her one of Australia’s most compelling horses.
SKYHOOK — Golden Eagle
Progressive, adaptable and continuing to win.
His Shannon Stakes victory strengthens an already impressive preparation and makes the Golden Eagle an obvious spring target.
BLUE DOOR — The Everest / three-year-old sprint features
Possibly the biggest emerging wildcard.
Her 33.37-second final 600 metres after leading the Heritage Stakes demonstrated serious speed. Whether she gets an Everest opportunity or remains against her own age, she is a horse to follow closely.
ST GOTTHARD — Caulfield Guineas
Don’t judge him purely on the Golden Rose margin.
His interrupted run and ability to recover for second suggest he deserves another opportunity against Warwoven.
DIAMETER — Caulfield Guineas
Sunday’s Stutt Stakes winner has already shown he handles Caulfield and 1600 metres.
That gives the Guineas another legitimate storyline.
SO YOU ARE — Spring staying races
Still developing, still improving and now a Group 3 winner over 2400 metres.
Exactly where he ultimately fits into the Cups picture remains to be determined, but he deserves to remain on the staying watchlist.
The Racing Fans verdict
Golden Rose weekend felt like a genuine turning point in the 2026 Spring Carnival. The established stars made their presence felt—Pride Of Jenni returned in winning form and Jimmysstar rediscovered his devastating finish.
But the bigger story may ultimately be the emerging generation. Blue Door looks seriously fast. Skyhook continues to progress. Diameter has entered the Guineas equation. St Gotthard lost little in defeat. And Warwoven? He left Rosehill looking like much more than simply a Golden Rose winner.
The question now is whether his explosive turn of foot can stretch from 1400 metres to 1600 metres—and perhaps eventually beyond. We’ll start finding out at Caulfield.
Next major watch: Warwoven versus Melbourne’s leading three-year-olds in the Caulfield Guineas on October 10, followed a week later by a huge October 17 featuring The Everest and Caulfield Cup.
