The Pace Report: Caulfield 31/1/2026 | Just horse racing

Racing took place at Caulfield on a Good 4 surface on Saturday and although a number of races were run early at a controlled pace, the meeting still produced several performances well above the standard Saturday fare. Importantly, this looks like a card that will continue to deliver winners in similar company, with a few horses already clamoring for stronger tests.

STAR PERFORMER

Race 2 – Castellar (1st) (Navy blue, white silk)

This was a win that lasted well above the benchmark level 70.

Castellar didn’t win alone – he give them spacewhere he accelerated in a way that made it clear that he has already outgrown this degree. The margin was decisive, but more importantly it was built by raw late speed rather than race form or luck in the run.

The depth behind him was solid enough. Runlikenencryption and Du Clisson are both horses I have time for, while Rhia and Madame Maserati also seem capable of progressing through the classes, even if their racing patterns limit how far they can climb.

What separated Castellar from the rest was his final work. His final 200 meters of 11.61 seconds was the fastest of the entire meeting, and his final 600 meters of 33.68 seconds scored strongly compared to everything else on the card. He did it while racing wide and covering extra ground, although being outside the chute gate at Caulfield is less of a disadvantage than elsewhere.

Perhaps most telling was how easily he did it. This was not a slow race, yet Castellar entered the race and put it away without being asked at all. Based on this evidence, he appears to be a horse that will thrive when brought up in the classroom and exposed to real speed.

Caulfield Race 2 I Castellar

Previously trained by the late Robbie Laing, Castellar appears to be too strong for new trainer Gavin Bedggood 👏

📺 Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPETITIONS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/nHUFYJJutP

— Racing.com (@Racing) January 31, 2026

BLACKBOOKER

Race 7 – Damask Rose (2nd) (Mandarin, blue stars)

This was one high-quality first-up return of a mare that is back on the brink of her best form.

Damask Rose is not a natural 1200m horse, yet she produced a sustained and powerful finish in a race run in a manner that plenty of others discovered. Dean Yendall’s aggressive ride aboard Wrote To Arataki saw the pressure continue to build from the 800m mark, forcing the field to chase and weakening the sprint from those trying to run from behind.

Visually the run was strong. At section level it was even better.

Her final 600 meters of 33.80 seconds was the fourth fastest of the entire meeting, surpassed only by three runners from the 1000 meters of Race 2. That’s late elite speed in the context of how the race was run.

In races like these with sustained pressure, horses that are first to the start often weaken sharply late, especially during the last 200 meters. Although her final time gap of 11.68 seconds was slower than her 400-200 meters of 11.04 seconds, the drop-off was much less than expected given the work she did previously.

In fact, her last 200 meters were the second fastest of the dayonly behind Castellar, underscoring how strong this effort was.

With the 1400m Mannerism Stakes at Caulfield in three weeks’ time and the Group 1 level Futurity Stakes on the same day, both races represent a logical next step. Wherever she shows up, this seems like the perfect platform run for Damask Rose to finish second.

The winner Wrote To Arataki was strong again and will be tough to beat in similar company, while Miss Aria and Eternal Flame also produced credible runs from behind.

THE DEEP DIVE

Big Sky’s victory in the Chairman’s Stakes on Saturday was dominant on the eye and has understandably pushed him to the top of the early Blue Diamond markets.

But turning the performance back to the clock, the win reads impressively without being informative, and at this stage there’s still not enough in it to get you carried away.

Big Sky steps into the chairman stakes ⚡⚡

A statement from the Price/Kent colt on his way to the Blue Diamond!@BMelham @MickPriceRacing pic.twitter.com/G29cDnshnj

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) January 31, 2026

Bivouac’s son controlled the race from the front and was never really put under pressure. He did exactly what a good two-year-old should do against limited opposition, but the race format and sections leave several important questions unanswered.

To put the performance into context, it is worth comparing it with Race 2 on the same programme, a 1000m Benchmark 70 for older horses, using the leader’s sections in both races.

The older horses moved considerably faster through the middle stages, with the Chairman’s Stakes run at a comfortable pace early on. That softer pace is crucial in interpreting Big Sky’s late power.

Castellar, a five-year-old gelding racing in the Benchmark 70, delivered one of the standout performances of the day. Despite competing in what is still a low-quality Saturday class, he recorded the fastest final 200 meters of the entire meeting and finished strongly across the line.

Castellar’s raw closing speed was sharper, achieved on a stronger platform mid-race and against older, more seasoned horses. Big Sky’s late splits are still good, but he’s never been asked to chase, maintain speed for an extended period or react under pressure.

The winning margin tells its own story, with Big Sky scoring by three lengths, which roughly equates to a half-second lead. However, the sectionals paint a much tighter picture and suggest the margin was built through race control rather than superior late speed.

That’s not negative. In fact, it’s a sign that Big Sky does things easily. But it does mean that this variety has not taught us nearly enough to anoint it as the clear standout of the biennial crop.

He beat an underwhelming field in what was a fitting race, and while his performance confirms his class and edge, it didn’t force him to show how he handles real pressure or that he can sustain a sprint at true Group 1 pace.

Big Sky is a quality colt with a lot of upside, but for now this was a comfortable win, not a decisive win. The hype can wait until he is asked harder questions.

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