Cox Plate awaits for Birdman after dominant win in Underwood Stakes

Former champion jockey Darren Beadman is in awe of trainer Chris Waller after the victory of Birdman at Caulfield.

Birdman registered his second Group 1 win when taking out the Underwood Stakes (1800m) on Saturday, a victory that saw the galloper shorten into second favourite for the Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington on October 24.

Waller has taken Birdman through his grades, and the gelding had not won at the highest level until his victory in the Doomben Cup (2000m) in May.

Now the Cox Plate awaits after Birdman circled the field to land the prize on Saturday.

Ridden by Ben Melham, Birdman ($6) comfortably ran past the $2.25 favourite Cosmic Crusader to score a 1-¾ length win with outsider Attrition ($101) a further 2-¼ lengths away in third place.

Birdman pleased the Waller team with his first-up sixth in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29.

The gelding was an acceptor for the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday, but Waller elected to hold Birdman back a week and instead gave the gelding a jump-out over 1000m at Flemington last week.

“Chris just gets the timing perfectly right when it comes to placing these horses, knowing when to put the acid on them,” Beadman said.

“He ran in a nice lead-up race in the Memsie, into this, and before Ben went out, he said they are going to pair up very quickly.

“He said ‘I could be box set’, but he backed his judgement, got on the back of Willie Pike (Cosmic Crusader). He dragged him into the race perfectly.

“He was the fresh horse on the scene. He stood up to be counted today and it was a great ride by Benny and a great effort by the Melbourne staff.”

Beaten earlier in the year in the Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington, Beadman said Birdman was a stronger version now.

“The 2000 metres at Flemington looks made to order in a sense,” Beadman said.

“I think he’s a better mile-and-a-quarter horse than he is a 2400-metre horse.