If you love racing, there are few better ways to kick off a New Year than to be amidst a big and happy Ascot crowd on a summery Perth afternoon, watching the field go down to the start for The Cup!.
It’s always a great race, but In 2026 revellers and racing fans were treated to something special.
$1.25 favourite Apulia was attempting to carry 58.5kg to victory in the $1 million G2 staying feature and it was going to be a tough ask for the five year old entire - or so the history books told us!
The son of Melbourne Cup hero Fiorente, trained by the young scions of a famous Australasian racing dynasty in Ben, JD and Will Hayes, had rocketed to the head of Perth Cup markets after his explosive win in the G2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes almost two weeks ago.
Nobody really wanted to back anything else, despite the poor record of high weighted horses in this tough handicap which is often run in energy sapping heat.
Apulia had been so dominant in the Van Heemst despite missing the start! Under these handicap conditions he surely couldn’t afford to get that far out of his ground. As usual, punters put their faith in William Pike to make sure that scenario didn’t unfold.
Fifteen runners contested the 2026 Perth Cup and Peters Investments fielded their customary quality cohort, the best backed of which was progressive five year old Forever Boy (Charm Spirit) bred in NZ from Bob Peter's excellent race mare Neverland (Big Brown) who was runner up to in both the 2016 - run Perth Cups!
His trainer Michael Grantham also saddled a brace of So You Thinks for Peters in Diamond Scene (Cup runner up last year) and Stormageddon.
Grant and Alana Williams put the polish on Buckets Ridge (Pride Of Dubai) who had beaten Forever Boy home in the GA Towton Cup, and Simply (Domesday) attempting 2400m for the first time since his unplaced run in the 2024 G2 WATC Derby.
The Pride of the Goldfields and reigning Boulder Cup / Kalgoorlie Cup hero , PJ Fernie's eight year old Sentimental Hero (Al Maher) was back for another crack and the old warhorse had a few fans.
Topweight In Good Order (American Pharoah) had 59kg to carry - as Apulia's Van Heemst success had attracted no penalty - thus the Dan Morton trained galloper seemingly faced an impossible task.
A couple of equine journeymen in Fame (Manhattan Rain) and Grand Pierro (Pierro) were unfancied by punters, ditto tough mare Be Optimistic (Blackfriars) placed in the 24/25 Cups, Rocking Society (Awesome Rock) and the 2024 Cup placed Demolish (Rich Enuff).
Playhouse Patron (Patronize) was lining up in his third Perth Cup but the one punters were keeping safe was the only obvious leader in the race Filthy Habits (I'm All The Talk) to be ridden by pace judge extraordinaire Lucy Fiore for her partner Brent.
As it turned out Fiore and Filthy Habits did lead - at a very decent clip - and thus ensured the race was a most genuine test of stamina!
Apulia was on his best behaviour in the gates and got away well for Pike, racing a little better than midfield all the way. He got a near-perfect run and it was yet another big race masterclass from the champion jockey.
Filthy Habits led them into the straight and fought on valiantly but Apulia had the race in his keeping a very long way from home.
It was an easy watch for favourite backers as the powerful stallion swept to the lead in the straight, to win going away by three lengths.
Filthy Habits held on to second and Forever Boy with Chris Parnham aboard was the best of the rest coming home well into third, but frankly Apulia was a class above them and it showed.
150/1 shot Rocking Society put some value into the first four! With Playhouse Patron, who had been up on speed all the way, staying on well to hold fifth place.
This was Pike’s fifth Perth Cup winning ride. But for the Lindsay Park dynasty and the Hayes boys, it was a sweet first taste of success in the race - and perhaps made up for The Fuzz running second in 2009 for their Dad David!
“It was a bit of a sense of relief when we were in the first half of the field,” JD Hayes said, as Pike brought the popular winner back to the cheers of the massive crowd..
“There was a possibility we were going to be back and behind a lot of horses, not where we wanted to be.
"The way it panned out was certainly perfect, glad to see the horse be able to show what he can do.”
Apulia is a special horse.
“He’s been through a lot, this horse, it’s a true testament to his character,” said JD of the win.
“357 days off before this preparation and he’s come back and come of age, affording him the time, we’re reaping the benefits now..
"This trip to Perth is going to be the making of him.”
The G1 Australian Cup at Flemington is a possible next target for Apulia, a race his sire Fiorente won.
His G2 Perth Cup romp takes the lightly raced entire’s career record to six wins from nineteen lifetime starts for earnings now exceeding $1.8million.
At Flemington back in November of 2023 Apulia was nosed out of a win in the G1 VRC Derby by the outstanding Riff Rocket (American Pharoah) who would go on to complete a rare double by taking the ATC version in the Autumn, his third win at the highest level.
Riff was a champion, but tragically, in every owner’s nightmare, the dreaded colic was to take his life soon after.
Apulia stayed in Melbourne that Autumn and failed to return to winning form in three starts, but the following spring he was back in great form with a first up second over 1500m at The Valley followed by a third in the Listed Furphy Plate 1800m at Flemington on Cup Day .
Then misfortune struck - Apulia suffered the other dread of racehorse owners - the serious tendon injury.
Fortunately his life wasn’t in danger, but his career certainly was. It would take skill, dedication and patience to bring the horse back from this major setback.
He was in the right hands.
Apulia was bred by Meadowvale Pastoral and Revelstone Stud, and the talented stallion races for the Garrett family’s Revelstone Stud and Lindsay Park Bloodstock.
There wouldn't be many dodgy tendons that the Lindsay Park vets and staff, and the vast Hayes family storehouse of wisdom couldn't handle.
When Apulia finally returned to racing as a five year old it was obvious that not only was his tendon absolutely fine, he had regained the sparkling form of his earlier career.
Before his injury the colt had run second to subsequent G1 winner Veight in the G2 VRC Sires Produce Stakes as a juvenile, and had won the traditional Derby lead up, the G2 Vase at The Valley before meeting the Waller-trained superstar Riff Rocket in the big one.
There was only a short half head between the two colts at the end of that gruelling 2500m Classic, and they were clearly the two superior individuals in the field that day .
On his much anticipated return Apulia strung together two impressive wins in Melbourne, the second of them in the time honoured Listed Chester Manifold Stakes at the Flemington mile.
Then it was off to Perth!
Apulia was the first foal of the High Chaparral (IRE) mare Giannarelli, who placed once in only three starts, and is a half-sister to G2 Queensland Guineas third Spot The Rock (Fastnet Rock) out of the stakes-placed Fasliyev mare Can’t Hackit.
Her second was a filly by Pride Of Dubai born in 2021
Named Eyes Wide Shut she is a winner.
The current 3yo out of Giannarelli, is the unraced Nicconi filly named Aradeo also in the Ben, Will and JD Hayes stable,
The daughter of High Chaparral has an unnamed 2yo colt by Nicconi, and a yearling filly by Lucky Vega.
There was no foal this season with the mare unfortunately missing to Rosemont Stud’s Shamus Award.
Giannarelli was a half sister to six winners from Can't Hackit, a daughter of Nureyev's champion juvenile Fasliyev from the G2 winning sprint mare Close Your Eyes (Geiger Counter)
The handy NZ bred racemare She's Unusual (Unusual Suspect) has Close Your Eyes as her fourth dam and is out of the dual Listed winning mare La Fille En Jeu (Montjeu)
Apulia's fifth dam is the G1 AJC Oaks winner Just Now who was top class, also claiming the 1986 WFA Turnbull Stakes among her five stakes victories.
The grey was bred at Queensland's famous Eureka Stud and sired by the mighty “Semi,” their champion stallion Semipalatinsk from the excellent producer Tautina.
This prolific family descends from the NZ bred Foxbridge daughter Honeywood, who was dam of the 1945 Melbourne Cup winner Foxzami and grand dam of the 1970 Doomben Cup / Stradbroke champion Divide And Rule.
It is a branch of family 19-c which traces to the jet black mare Moorhen, dam of champion sire Gallinule, who became one of the great broodmare sires of all time - sire of the legendary Blue Hen Pretty Polly .
Apulia's line descends from Gallinule's half sister Silver Wing.
Many famous Classic winners hailed from this tribe
Melbourne Cup winner Jeune is a member of this line and was a fantastic broodmare sire, as was Queen’s Hussar - his son Seventh Hussar is the damsire of Rubiton and sired the Blue Hen Denise's Joy.
An interesting present day descendant is twice US HOTY and World Champion Racehorse Curlin, the first stallion to ever sire three Breeders Cup Champions on the same day, two years in a row!
Apulia is bred
Danzig 5m,5m x
Northern Dancer x 4m,5m
Darshaan 5f x 4f
Mr Prospector x 5f,5m sex balanced
Blue Hen Special x 5f,5m sex balanced
His interesting pedigree sex balances Special's dam Thong as she is the dam of Geiger Counter, while both Fasliyev and Green Desert descend from Never Bend mares. Never Bend and three quarter brother Bold Reason out of Blue Hen Lalun are family 19b.
Fiorente descends from Simon's Shoes, the ancestress of Thong.
Fiorente was bred by Ballymacoll Stud.
From 20 starts the son of mighty Monsun won 6 races and banked more than $6 million in prizemoney
Foaled in 2008 , Fiorente was trained by Sir Michael Stoute in England and placed at Royal Ascot in the G2 King Edward VII Stakes at three years.
Fiorente won a G2 at Newmarket at four before travelling to Melbourne and finishing second in the Melbourne Cup.
Sold privately for $1.2 million and transferred to Gai Waterhouse, at 5 years the remarkable stallion ran 3rd in the G1 All Aged Stakes 1400m, 3rd in the WS Cox Plate, won the G2 Dato Tan Chin Nam and won the Melbourne Cup.
At six he won the G1 Australian Cup and ran third 3rd in the G1 BMW before retiring due to a tendon injury to Eliza Park / Sun Stud in Victoria, where he stood for most of his career. Fiorente spent his last two seasons at Widden Stud and died in 2023.
Gai Waterhouse loved Fiorente, He was her kind of horse - supremely talented, incredibly tough.
He was a "beautiful horse to train, so talented and handsome" she said upon his passing of her Melbourne Cup winner.
Widden’s Sales team member Phil Marshall who worked with Fiorente in Victoria, said of him
“Throughout his career he was able to produce horses with the same bravery and tenacity, which he had in spades.”
Fiorente’s sire the breedshaper Monsun also sired the Melbourne Cup heroes Almandin and Protectionist.
Apulia is one of eleven stakeswinners for his sire and one of four G2 winners the others being the fine staying mares Lunar Flare and Silent Surrente, and the Autumn Stakes winner Hawkshot.
There is a fair bit of Fiorente about Apulia.
He’s a big imposing type like his sire was and a handsome athlete - in full flight he looks like an absolute galloping machine.
For a horse to come back from such serious injury and carry 58.5kg to an easy - almost effortless! - win in a Perth Cup is a truly remarkable achievement for this fascinating horse and a credit to his trainers.
Group One glory beckons for Apulia.
