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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Adrian Bott isn’t ready to concede the Group 1 $5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes to unbeaten star Autumn Glow and is holding onto the hope that Sir Delius can be stronger if it's a tough 2000m contest at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Adrian Bott (Pic: Grant Guy).

While there’s been conjecture for weeks over what race Autumn Glow might target at The Championships, Sir Delius has been squarely aimed at the Queen Elizabeth and arrives there third-up.

The five-year-old has a decision over last year’s winner Via Sistina at 2000m from his third run in the spring and Bott said he’d like to see Autumn Glow have to work for her 12th consecutive win.

“It’s new ground for her, so if we’re trying to find something to grasp onto that would be it,’’ he said.

“I have a huge amount of respect for her but not just her, Aeliana was very good last start, as you’d expect it’s a proper weight-for-age 2000m race which is what you want.

“We’d like to see a high pressure race, I was hoping to see Pride Of Jenni there which would have helped our cause but it’s not to be.

“It’s a tactical, awkward, start so I think it’s key to his chances getting a nice draw.

“It’s always been centred on this is the race we wanted to win with him and trying to get him to peak.”

To that end Bott, who co-trains with Gai Waterhouse, said Sir Delius, $6 with TAB on Wednesday, has shown in his two runs back that he is on target.

He ran third behind Autumn Glow and Aeliana over the mile in the Verry Elleegant Stakes before he settled last in the Ranvet and was a closing third to Aeliana and Lindermann where Bott says “we gave ourselves a bit to do” in conceding a start.

“He needed those couple of runs and that grounding, he’s been building and I think he’s right on track,’’ he said.

“I’d like to see him run a personal best this preparation, a peak performance.

“His best performances in the spring may not be enough with the form Autumn Glow is in but it’s different conditions to when they met last time.

“I expect it to be a decent pressure race and I feel he’s at his best now this prep to perform well.”

Whether Campaldino takes his place in the Group 1 $2m Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m) will come down to passing a vet check and completing a gallop in front of stewards after he was found to have cardiac arrhythmia earlier in the week.

Bott said the gelding appeared to come through his brave second in the Chairmans Quality last weekend in good order and was surprised when the anomaly was found in routine checks earlier in the week.

Two fillies, Reachin’ Out and Lumbini, will represent Waterhouse and Bott in the Group 2 $1 million TAB Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m).

While the latter has been aimed at the race for some time, the former exploded onto the scene with an easy debut Kensington win a couple of weeks ago.

“She was excellent, she ran good time on the day and she looks like she’s continued to improve,’’ Bott said.

“She’s one of these fillies on the way up and the timing might be ideal for her for this race.”

Sir Delius runs third in the Ranvet Stakes

Lumbini disappointed the stable with her run in the Sweet Embrace Stakes but her second to Pembrey in the Magic Night, and subsequent trial win, has Bott confident she can run a big race.

“She had a quick turnaround from the Gold Coast so she may have been in need of that first-up run so she bounced back last start,’’ he said.

“It was always the plan to come through to this race, we thought she’d be better placed here.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 2 of The Championships at Randwick on Saturday