Phillip Stokes shooting for third Adelaide Cup with Deakin and Taramansour

Phillip Stokes will have two top chances, including the likely favourite Deakin, in his bid for a third win in next month’s Adelaide Cup.

Deakin thumped his rivals in the Torney Cup at The Valley last Friday night. Picture: George Salpigtidis/Racing Photos via Getty Images

Phillip Stokes has won two Adelaide Cups, and he’s perfectly poised for a third next month with imposing two-pronged attack Deakin and Taramansour.

The expat South Australian, now based at Pakenham, won the 2021 and ’22 Adelaide Cups with Good Idea and Daqiansweet Junior, but he’s never had a better chance than this year with exciting stayer Deakin.

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Stayers are typically labelled as dour or gritty rather than exciting, but Deakin’s five-length romp in the Group 2 Torney Cup (2500m) at The Valley was enough to rouse anyone that saw it.

Deakin, previously trained by Joseph O’Brien in Ireland, has won two of four starts under Stokes since arriving in Australia, and is raced by OTI racing.

“He’s a very progressive horse, he’s done this all in one prep, coming over from Europe – they don’t often do that,” Stokes said.

“There’s a lot of upside. Does he run two-mile? I don’t know. That’s why he’s going to the Adelaide Cup.

“We’re going to give it a go, and if he can run the two-mile – he’ll be very competitive.”

“He gives them a galloping lesson!”

DEAKIN smashed them @TheValley taking home the Listed Torney Night Cup for @pstokesracing and @DanielStack33

Beating Daqiansweet Junior’s track record tonight - fittingly he will also head to the Adelaide Cup next 🔥

Congratulations to all… pic.twitter.com/NRt1U4Ysz1

— OTI Racing (@OTIRacing) February 21, 2025

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The five-year-old gelding has never ventured beyond 2514m, but has won both career starts around that marker.

“He’s very clean-winded, as European horses are, which is a big positive,” he said.

“(Daniel) Stackhouse is pretty bullish he can run it – let’s hope.”

Daqiansweet Junior competed in two Melbourne Cups for Stokes, finishing sixth (2022) and fifth (2023), and Stokes is harbouring Melbourne Cup ambitions with Deakin if can prove formidable at the two-mile.

“I feel he (Deakin) is in front of where Daqiansweet Junior was at the same stage,” he said.

“He’s a very progressive horse, and very exciting.

“We’ll just weigh it up (Melbourne Cup).

“If we went to a Sydney Cup we’ll just tip him straight out and go for the traditional route to a Melbourne Cup.”

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Deakin’s partner in crime for the Adelaide Cup will be stablemate Taramansour, who was a fast-finishing third in last Saturday’s Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m) at Morphettville, a traditional lead-up to the Adelaide Cup.

“The barrier cost him on Saturday, if he drew a barrier, gets a few pairs closer – he wins it,” Stokes said.

“It’ll be the same sort of horses plus what comes from over the border, I think he’ll be fine, he’s in Adelaide now and has settled in well.

“Lachy Neindorf will ride him, he knows a bit more about the horse now, hopefully he draws a barrier and he’ll be thereabouts too, don’t worry.”

Daniel Stackhouse will retain the ride on Deakin for the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) on March 10.