Following his victory in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) on Saturday, it is looking likely that Birdman will head to the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) on March 28 at Flemington.

In fact, the son of Free Eagle has skyrocketed into favouritism ahead of Tom Kitten for that $2 million race.

SENTrack & RSN's Giddy Up host Gareth Hall believes the son of Free Eagle will be hard to beat now in the Australian Cup now, off the back of his Blamey Stakes (1600m) and Peter Young Stakes victories.

A synopsis which expert racing analyst David Gately agreed with.

Hall: “Birdman was sensational, he's going to be hard to beat in an Australian Cup now, isn't he?”

Gately: “Yeah, he was fabulous (in the Peter Young)… Like his Blamey win, he's just a class above them.

“Buckaroo obviously had that respiratory issue, so underperformed, and that left the door open for Birdman.

“There was some merit on the clock. I think he's absolutely airborne.

“In the Australian Cup, he won't clash with the likes of Via Sistina because she’s retired.

Hall: “It'll be interesting to see what Birdman does in an Australian Cup, but the market's reacted big time - he's the $3.50 favourite now.”

The Australian Cup is shaping up to include the likes of top-end horses such as Birdman, Tom Kitten, Pride Of Jenni, Apulia and Buckaroo.

After winning the first two races of his career, Birdman went on a 12-race losing streak, showing that the son of Free Eagle may not have had what it takes to compete at the top level.

But since then, the import has won three out of his last seven starts, including both the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m), and most recently, the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m).

Hailed by top-end pundit Mark Hunter as the in-form horse leading into the $500,000 Peter Young on Saturday, the Chris Waller-trained gelding proved exactly that, defeating Group 1 stars like Buckaroo and Light Infantry Man.

Reflecting on the race, SENTrack’s David Taggart praised the five-year-old’s jockey Ben Melham and believes Birdman could be heading to larger races, based off that Peter Young Stakes win.

“I tell you what, what a run it was. Benny Melham, he put Birdman in the box seat, was patient enough too and he had a heap of horse underneath him,” Taggart told SENTrack.

“Birdman, well, he's put two together now. Is he on the path to bigger races?

“I think so. He probably goes to Sydney now.

“All credit there to Benny Melham, what a good little ride.”

Racing analyst’s Nick Noonan and Ben Caluzzi also agreed with Taggart’s take on RSN’s Correct Weight, with Noonan even stating Birdman is “airborne” this preparation.

Caluzzi: “It would be hard to say he is not one of the horses to beat in the Australian Cup now.”

Noonan: “Yeah, it looks that way, doesn’t it? The way the field is shaping up there… You’d think he’s going to be a live chance.

“He’s just absolutely airborne this campaign.”

When looking at potential Group 1 races which the gelding is in the market for, Birdman is the equal favourite, at $4 with Sportsbet, for the Australian Cup (2000m) on March 28 at Flemington, $6 to win the Tancred Stakes (2400m) on March 28 at Rosehill, and $8 to take out the Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 11 at Randwick.

Could Birdman have a Group 1 next to his name by the time the Autumn Racing Carnival is over?

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