Super Seth gelding Cross Tasman overcame a taxing run to record the fifth and most impressive win of his career at Randwick on Saturday in the Benchmark 88 event over 1400m with stakes goals ahead for the progressive five year-old.
Sent out as a short priced favourite on the strength of eye-catching placings in both of his previous starts in this campaign, Cross Tasman was trapped four-wide from barrier 10 and covered plenty of extra ground throughout the race.
Despite that energy-sapping trip, the O’Shea and Charlton trained Cross Tasman loomed on the outside of the leaders at the home turn and was able to quicken in the straight for Zac Lloyd to win by a length and three-quarters.
A treble to @ZacLloydx as Cross Tasman takes the last on TAB Everest Day! @JohnOSheaRacing @aus_turf_club @WorldPool https://t.co/YFbaVAc35O
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 17, 2026
“I didn’t give him much of a steer, but the blinkers helped, and he was too good for them,” Lloyd said. “He’s going well.”
Cross Tasman has now had 12 starts for five wins, six placings and $392,825 in stakes.
Charlton has identified the $750,000 Little Dance (1600m) at Randwick on November 3 as a likely target.
“He is qualified for the Little Dance on Cup Day, having placed in the Goulburn Cup (1400m) first-up, and that would seem a logical route for him,” Charlton said.
“The Five Diamonds (1800m) is not out of the realms of possibility as well. It would be a five-day back-up, but it’s something we’ll have in the back of our mind as well.”
Bred and sold by Waikato Stud, Cross Tasman was a $260,000 Karaka Book 1 purchase for his trainers and Suman Hedge and out of the versatile triple Group I winner Daffodil, whose elite-level victories included an Australian Oaks (2400m) and New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
