The queen of Australian Racing Gai Waterhouse upstaged the King of England at Flemington on Saturday as she moved a giant stride closer to winning a second Melbourne Cup.

Waterhouse’s imported galloper Sir Delius is now outright favourite for the race that stops a nation after crushing a star-studded field in the group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m), including relegating Antino into second and last year’s horse of the year Via Sistina into third.

Waterhouse took centre stage on a day that many believed would be dedicated to the King.

The five-year-old stallion she co-trains with Adrian Bott exploded, while His Majesty’s horse, Gilded Water, lost the plot.

“He really is a most exciting horse,” Waterhouse beamed about Sir Delius.

By comparison, Gilded Water fell short of expectations in a di

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