BIG RED ZOOM UPSTAGES MAIN FANCIES IN THE MAX SIMMONDS STAKES AT ASCOT

By Graham Potter | Sunday, October 11, 2026

The three-year-old chestnut Big Red Zoom ($11) upstaged his more fancied rivals when taking out the $125 000 Listed Max Simmonds Stakes at Ascot, just doing enough to hold off the late charge of the $5 second favourite Afireofgidgeecoals by a fast diminishing 0.06 length margin.

In the end there was only half-a-stride in it, and for that credit must go to the inch perfect ride of Holly Watson aboard the Mitchell Pateman trained winner.

Watson put Big Red Zoom into a dream spot from the break, tracking the speed while saving ground along the rail. She had Big Red Zoom in third place on straightening and she made an early … and, arguably, race-winning decision … to switch out around the heels of the leader Dawn Dancer ($12) with 220m left to run.

That move brought Big Red Zoom into free galloping room and allowed him to showcase his superb acceleration which carried him into the lead with 150m left to run.

Boy Crush ($14) who had raced alongside Big Red Zoom all the way to the home turn, experienced some traffic problems in the first half of the home straight, but he then found some acceleration of his own to emerge as a serious threat to Big Red Zoom with 100m left to run.

Big Red Zoom kept on kicking and the Luke Fernie trained Boy Crush kept taking ground off the Pateman trained runner. That was always going to be close.

In the end Big Red Zoom held Boy Crush, who would ultimately finish in third place) off by 0.28 lengths at the line but, in the meantime, a new threat to Big Red Zoom’s aspirations had emerged in the form of the Daniel Mortain trained Afireofgidgeecoals, the Group 2 Karrakatta winner.

Afireofgidgeecoals went back early under Lucy Fiore and raced all of six to seven lengths off the lead in the first half of the race. Faced with a wall of runner in front of her on straightening and still with six lengths to make up, Fiore had little option but to wait for a run, which came when she edged Afireofgidgeecoals out marginally.

The Morton trained runner still had to go through his gears though and he only gained significant momentum inside the final 180m … and he flew from there, rushing up late to only fail by the narrowest of margins.

Big Red Zoom remains undefeated. He is now two wins from two starts, adding this notable Listed win to his credit, after putting his Maiden win on the board back in August.