Kingswood wins dramatic Caulfield Cup as fall claims Oaks-winning star Ohope Wins

Imported stayer Kingswood has delivered a Group 1 Caulfield Cup upset for trainer Gavin Bedggood and jockey John Allen, in a race which was overshadowed by a fall in the straight that resulted in Ohope Wins being euthanised and star jockey Mark Zahra being taken to hospital.

The grey seven-year-old endured a wide run, but kept on coming to win at $26, beating Saint George ($10) by half a length, while Enfjaar ($12) was a further half-length away in third.

It was a career highlight for Bedggood and one which he didn’t expect given Kingswood drew the outside barrier and raced three-wide throughout.

“I was gutted when I saw it and thought we had to go back,” Bedggood said. “I pretty much left it in (Allen’s) hands. We were pretty much posted three-wide all the way and everyone wanted to question the horse’s credentials at a mile-and-a-half … It’s great to be vindicated.”

Allen said he was left with little option but to put faith in his horse.

“Bit of a messy race, we were three wide early but he was in a nice rhythm, didn’t want to light him up and push forward,” he said.

“When a bit of a wave came around him at the 1200, I was happy to leave that go and tack them into the race, I knew he’d show a good turn of foot if he travelled well into the home straight and he cantered up to them and put them away.”

Just inside the final 300 metres, defending champion Half Yours stumbled and unseated Zahra.

Ohope Wins was caught up in the incident and Jye McNeil also fell, and stewards later confirmed the four-year-old mare suffered serious injuries and had to be euthanised.

Owned by Yulong, she had won both the New Zealand and Australian Oaks earlier this year.

While both jockeys got to their feet, stewards said Zahra was conscious and alert but had been taken to hospital for further examination. Half Yours had lacerations but is expected to make a full recovery.

The incident caused a substantial delay and cast a shadow over what was a tough victory for Kingswood.

By Roaring Lion out of the Sea The Stars mare All At Sea, Kingswood was bred by Lanwades Stud and is raced by Glyn and Jane Davies.

He is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Eldar Eldarov. He started his career in Ireland with John O’Donoghue and had two Victorian starts for Maddie Raymond before moving to Bedggood’s Cranbourne stable.

“I have to thank Darren Weir. He told the owners to send the horse my way, so I’m really grateful for that,” Bedggood said.

Kingswood’s previous Group 1 win came in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, the first leg of a three-race New Zealand campaign.

“I felt a bit sorry for the horse because everyone said he went to New Zealand and knocked off a second-tier of horse, but I didn’t think that was the case,” Bedggood said.

Craig Williams, who rode Saint George for Ciaron Maher, said his horse had given his all.

“My horse was great, Ciaron Maher and his stable have done a great job. The horse ran his heart out, got a very uncomplicated run from the barrier, very economical, but my thoughts, most importantly, are with the horses and riders that fell,” he said.

Roger Varian’s Enfjaar will now head to the Melbourne Cup.

“I thought I was going to win turning in but he hasn’t run for a while and I think he just felt the pinch inside the last 100 metres,” jockey Ray Dawson said.

Over 30,000 attended the meeting, the largest crowd for over a decade.

🇦🇺Caulfield Cup 2026 @Caulfield #CaulfieldCup
Caulfield – Turf – Grade 1 – Handicap – 3 Years Old and Upwards – 2400m – 18 Run – 6.545.000 Au$

🏆 🥇Kingswood (h6) 🏇John Allen
🥈Saint George
🥉Enfjaar

📖(Roaring Lion (Usa) – All At Sea (Gb)) By Sea The… pic.twitter.com/dfQ1plrTrG

— French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) October 17, 2026