The Adelaide Cup holds a special place in the southern hemisphere’s autumn carnival. While the race has an illustrious history dating back to 1864, in recent years, a particular combination has started to make its mark: the partnership between OTI Racing and trainer Phillip Stokes.
Phillip Stokes has carved a reputation as a shrewd trainer of staying types for OTI Racing. His stable continues to generate an enviable record with both imported and locally-bred stayers, highlighted by Femminile’s Group 1 success in the 2025 SA Derby.
OTI has entrusted Stokes with some of its most exciting stayers in Australia. The Adelaide Cup has become a regular stopping point on the way to bigger things.
In the 2022 edition, Daqiansweet Junior justified favouritism in style under champion jockey Jamie Kah. Always well-placed at Morphettville, the New Zealand-bred stayer hit the line strongly to take out the Group 2 feature and give Kah her first Adelaide Cup success alongside Stokes and OTI. For Stokes, it was a second successive win, having won in 2021 with Good Idea.
Daqiansweet Junior wins G2 Adelaide Cup in 2022.
The search for another Adelaide Cup followed in 2023 with Amade, another European import prepared by Stokes for OTI. There was genuine optimism that the stayer could make it three in a row for Stokes and two for OTI, but a wide run throughout cruelled his chances, and he could finish no closer than 3rd.
Trainer, jockey and horse all reconvened for 2024, with Amade sent out as a market leader. However, a twist was in the works. During the race, jockey Zac Spain lost one stirrup when the leather broke early in the contest. Somehow, Spain rode on. Despite that handicap and bumpy ride, Amade still managed to finish fourth, in a performance that left connections questioning what might have been without the equipment malfunction.
Amade finishes 4th in G2 Adelaide Cup in 2024.
As the 2026 Adelaide Cup nears, Highland Bling has emerged as the latest from the Stokes/OTI camp with genuine staying credentials and ambitions over the 3200-metre distance.
A 5-year-old gelding by Highland Reel, Highland Bling has shown progressive form in Australia, including a win at Flemington in his spring 2025 preparation and a recent 2nd placing in the G3 Lord Reims Stakes, a traditional lead-up race to the Adelaide Cup. While not yet a star on the level of his stablemates Daqiansweet Junior or Amade, Highland Bling’s breeding, racing progression, and the confidence shown in him by Stokes have him featuring prominently in the market for this race over the extended distance.
If he continues his current trajectory, Highland Bling could add a compelling new chapter to the Stokes/OTI Adelaide Cup story – one that has already produced memorable moments and deep staying performances across multiple seasons.