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Waller weekly news
22 May, 2015
Winx.
This week the stable celebrated a stellar day at the Sunshine Coast’s Caloundra track on Saturday with Winx’s ultra-impressive Group 3 Guineas
win stamping her as the solid favourite for the Queensland Oaks a fortnight later. Not to be outdone, Index Linked added another Cup to his
collection, with a dogged display at Listed level carrying top weight of 59kgs.
Avonaco’s success in Scone marked our latest winner for his Star Thoroughbreds owners while Hollywood Bound and James McDonald’s love
affair continued at Randwick on Wednesday with their fourth victory together for Mark and Leah Timms.
Brazen Beau also provided a highlight, having a good hit out to win his trial this week before he heads off to England for his assault on Royal
Ascot. Stay tuned for more on the plans for his trip in next week’s newsletter.
After a frustrating spate of close seconds we are hoping our luck changes going into this weekend with big teams running at Randwick and
Doomben plus runners at Flemington, Newcastle and Gosford early next week. Brisbane’s racing will be action packed for the team with Boban
and Flamingo Star charged with trying to snare the stable’s first Group 1 Doomben 10,000 while Oaks and Derby contenders Ballet Suite,
Sadler’s Lake, Quick Strike and Redoutable Heart will be having their final preparation runs for their grand finals.
For a full list of our runners visit the website - www.cwallerracing.com
We wish you all a safe and enjoyable weekend and the very best of luck over the next week!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
• WINNERs, waller tells faithfuls to hang tough
with boban
• more News, kiwi apprentice to join stable, getting
to know andre rabbett & photos.
www.cwallerracing.com | [email protected] | +612 9760 5700
CHRIS WALLER RACING - WINNERS THIS WEEK
WINX
3yo F Street Cry - Vegas Showgirl by Al Akbar
Brilliant filly Winx scored a stunning success in the Group
3 Sunshine Coast Guineas over 1600m at Caloundra on
Saturday. Stepping back to the mile having previously
finished second in the Group 1 ATC Oaks at Randwick
over 2400m, Larry Cassidy was in the saddle on Saturday.
He settled the daughter of Street Cry at the rear of the
18 strong field and she was still last with 400m left to
run but produced a sensational turn of foot to pass all her
rivals and score an outstanding victory.
This was an excellent lead up for the Group 1
Queensland Oaks run this year at Doomben over 2200m.
The reduced distance will certainly play to this classy
filly’s strengths and she should prove very hard to beat in
the showpiece.
INDEX LINKED
7yo G Dansili - Fully Invested by Irish River
Index Linked has certainly been a revelation for his
connections since joining CWR and he added the Listed
Caloundra Cup to his honour roll on Saturday. Damien
Browne took the mount for this 2400m event and he gave
the son of Dansili a brilliant ride. He had him settled well
towards the rear of the field and waited until well into
the straight to produce Index Linked for a run down the
outside of the leaders.
It was a ding-dong battle with the runner up over the last
100m but Index Linked once again showed his tenacity
and will to prevail by a narrow margin. This was the 11th
career success for this import who arrived from France
as a maiden and Saturday’s victory took his prize money
earnings to just shy of $700,000.
AVONACO
3yo G All American - Freestyle by Snippets
Carrying the Star Thoroughbred colours Avonaco gained
a gutsy victory at Scone on Friday over 1300m. The
son of All American was ridden by Tommy Berry who
had him well positioned throughout in third position.
He responded well to his riders urgings to hold out
his stablemate Disgraceful. Both of these youngster
are promising sorts with Avonaco recording his second
victory from just seven raceday appearances. Going by
this win and the stable’s opinion of him, his group of
owners should continue to have fun with him.
Thanks to Bradley Photographers, ROSS STEVENSON and
darryl sherer for our weekly photos.
www.bradleyphotos.com.au
hollywood bound
5yo G Royal Academy - Sutton Rarju by Marju
Hollywood Bound took out the BM75 over 1600m at
Randwick on Wednesday.
James McDonald was in the saddle and he has built up
a good relationship with the Royal Academy gelding
resulting in the race being their fourth victory together.
James had the gelding in a great striking position
throughout Wednesday’s race travelling in second
place. He struck for home at the 400m mark and the
partnership raced away for a comfortable victory.
Relishing the softer track conditions, he should be in for
another profitable campaign this winter, no doubt with
James McDonald in the saddle when available.
Click on the play button to be taken to
your weekly dose of Chris and Liam.
chris waller tells faithful to
hang tough with boban
Don’t write off Boban.That’s the stern warning from champion trainer Chris Waller as the former star miler gets set to repay his
most faithful followers in Saturday’s Doomben 10,000.
Some experts have questioned whether Boban is 12 months past his best and Waller didn’t shy away from the fact the five-yearold has been a nightmare for punters since claiming his last victory in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) in March last
year. But Waller feels the stars are aligning for the three-time Group 1 winner to add another feature race to his already impressive
resume in Brisbane this weekend.
“You can never underestimate Boban,” Waller warned.
“I would be one of them to say that (he hasn’t produced his best in the past 12 months) but you can’t take away that Group 1 level
and some of his runs have been pretty good in the past 12 months.
“Not all of them, but in particular his early races while fresh have been pretty good so we are hanging on to that and it’s the type of
race that will suit him and you would expect there to be a bit of pace on.”
Boban, a $17 Doomben 10,000 chance, had a gallop at Rosehill on Monday before travelling up to the Gold Coast on Tuesday night
The gelding has only won one from seven races first-up but his last three fresh runs have been over 1200m instead of the 1350m this
weekend.
“He is pretty well and I don’t think the 1200m is any good for him and being 1350m fresh this weekend, I’m thinking he is a
chance,” Waller said.
Flamingo Star will be Waller’s other runner in the Doomben 10,000 this weekend and he admits he isn’t expecting too much from
the German import at his Australian debut.
“We are planning towards the spring with him and he hadn’t shown us much at all until Monday when he had his final gallop at
Rosehill and his work was good,” he said.
“That was the first time he has showed me some speed and I don’t think he could win this weekend but if he ran midfield I would say
he is the perfect candidate for the Epsom in the spring.”
Waller was on the Glitter Strip on Tuesday to watch some of his Doomben hopefuls — including Sadler’s Lake, Ballet Suite,
Counterattack and She’s Clean — gallop on the Gold Coast course proper. He concedes he had to hold all four horses back slightly
in their gallops due to the track being chopped up but he is confident it won’t affect their performances this weekend. - Brad
Davidson, Gold Coast Bulletin
Flamingo Star, Boban have task
ahead in famous Group 1 sprint
It’s rare for all-powerful Chris Waller to be consigned
to the “hopeful roughie’’ category in a Group 1
but that’s how Waller feels about his dual hand in
Saturday’s Doomben 10,000. The market has Waller’s
runners Boban and Flamingo Star (pictured right) at
$15 and $16 respectively.
Waller reckons the odds are about right for the
costly, elusive Boban and “a bit too speculative’’ with
French import Flamingo Star, whom Waller says
would need “every imaginable break’’ to get into the
finish.
“It’s pretty much a tick-over run, the sort of thing
Lloyd Williams does with imports before spring,’’
Waller said, adding he had considered running
instead in last week’s Scone Cup.
“I tried to imagine the other day how he’d go if the gaps all opened and he got his best chance but he’s an imported mile to 2000m
horse against Aussie sprinters.’’
Waller said the hints of hope with Flamingo Star were that it is a weak edition of the 10,000 and Flamingo Star’s last gallop before
heading north was his best yet. “He galloped on Monday and that was the first glimpse of a turn of foot that he has shown,’’ he said.
“He certainly didn’t show much turn of foot in two trials.
“It’s by no means a strong 10,000. The only Group 1 form seems to be through last week’s BTC Cup and even that was questionable
Group 1 form.
“The fact it’s pretty weak will suit Boban more than it will my other runner.’’
Boban has slumped from “next big thing’’ two years ago to one of the most costly big-profile horses in the land.
“He bled about 18 months ago after running in the Queen Elizabeth (at Randwick) and he’s never been the same since,’’ Waller said.
“He’d nearly win it on his best form and he does tend to race best when fresh. The 1350m fresh should be suitable too, opposed to
the usual 1200m where he runs on but doesn’t win.
“He’s not going flash but he’s going OK. If that’s good enough then so be it.’’
Waller put a circle around the Brisbane carnival for Sadler's Lake when the gelding won his first race at a Canterbury midweek
meeting in December.
"I've had the Queensland Derby in mind for him after he won a couple of races during the off-season in Sydney and he's starting to
head in the right direction," Waller said.
Sadler's Lake will be aiming to emulate older stablemate Hawkspur who won the Rough Habit two years ago before going on to
complete the triple crown by winning the Grand Prix and Queensland Derby at his next two starts.
"He's a similar type to Hawkspur in that he's a step below the really good horses but still good enough to win these types of races,"
Waller said.
"I think he's a pretty handy horse but he's been on wet tracks and on a better surface today he showed a good turn of foot."
Sadler's Lake gave Waller an early double following the win of Ballet Suite in the Princess Stakes. Jockey Blake Shinn took up the
front on Sadler's Lake ($3.60) and the son of High Chaparral was never headed, scoring by 1-3/4 lengths from Upham ($4.80) with
the favourite Jumbo Prince ($3.40) three quarters of a length away away third.
"He had to do a bit of work early to find the lead but he toughed it out well and it's good signs going forward to the Derby," Shinn
said.- Matt Stewart, Herald Sun.
star kiwi apprentice joins stable
New Zealand’s champion apprentice is heading to Australia for a spell with Sydney’s leading trainer.
Group One winning rider Rory Hutchings will leave next week to team up with expatriate Kiwi horseman Chris Waller.
“I rode for Chris last year for a couple of weeks and when I left he said to stay in touch,” Hutchings said.
“I caught up with him at the sales at Karaka earlier this year and he said he would be happy for me to go back. With the Brisbane
carnival on it’s a good time of the year to go.”
Hutchings, who is due to come out of his time with Graeme Rogerson in mid-June, is uncertain when he would return to New
Zealand.
“I’ll be going on loan originally and I’ll just see how things go. I haven’t set a date to come back,” he said.
Hutchings, 20, was runner-up to Jason Collett for the apprentices’ premiership in 2011-12 before claiming the crown the following
season with 73 winners and again in 2013-14 with a haul of 109.
He currently has a 28 win buffer on Samantha Wynne in the race for the title this season, which has been highlighted by his first
Group One victory aboard Soriano in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
Hutchings later doubled his tally when he partnered the Rogerson-trained mare to win the Herbie Dyke Stakes at Te Rapa in
February.
He will be in action on Saturday at Ellerslie, where his rides include the in-form stable runner Castamere in the Listed Great
Northern Foal Stakes, before flying to Sydney on Monday. – NZ Racing Desk.
GETTING TO KNOW Andre rabbett
Talented rider and horseman Andre Rabbett hails
from Christchurch in New Zealand where he
left home at age 15 to be an apprentice jockey to
iconic Kiwi trainers Dave and Paul O’Sullivan. A
subsequent growth spurt however put an end his
aspirations to be a jockey.
Since then however Andre is grateful that he has
been lucky enough to travel throughout most of
Australia and Asia helping to prepare some amazing
horses for some very good races.
Finishing up as travelling foreman for the
O’Sullivans in 2000, Andre spent decent stints
working for Gary Moore, Bart Cummings, riding
in Japan and eventually ending up at Patinack Farm
as foreman for five years and John Thompson for
a year when Patinack ceased operating. Andre is
enjoying being a part of the team at Chris Waller
Racing, commenting that he’s currently enjoying
his involvement in racing more than ever most
recently.
Andre on Stuart, a horse he and a team took with 26 other horses to China’s
first international raceday in 2013, run by the China Horse Club.
Nickname? Don’t have one.
Best quote? Don’t have one those either.
Favourite part of the job? Seeing the results.
Favourite horse? Honourable Aussie.
Best horse ever seen? So You Think.
Role model? Probably my Dad.
Favourite food? Pretty much any curry.
Favourite jockey? Joao Moreira
If you weren’t in racing, what would you have done? A Chef - the same as my Mum and sister.
If you could invite two people for dinner, who would you invite? Hamish and Andy from the Today FM radio show.
Event in the world that you would most like to attend? Kentucky Derby.
What would you do with your last $5? Buy a can of Mother.
Tip for the weekend? Ballet Suite, Sadlers Lake or Good Project. I can’t decide - there are too many good ones!
Pulling up after exercising Bart Cummings’ Melbourne Cup
winner Viewed.
Andre on Orbec working with Auvray in Singapore earlier
this year to take part in Singapore’s richest race for John Thompson
and the China Horse Club.
new NAMES aplenty at cwr
Following are a few new names that have come through in recent months.
FLY ME - Encosta De Lago - Tactfully filly
TORGERSEN - Pins - Oh So Glam colt (pic right)
CELLARMAN - Mossman - Vintage Blend colt
SCANDAL SHEET - Shocking/Southdown colt
HURSLEY - Makfi - Illuminates colt (below)
KYANCUTTA - Purrealist - Piedini gelding
CORROBINNIE - Purrealist - Satin Bird gelding
SPATSIZI - Savabeel - Skeena colt
MULTIFACETS - O’Reilly - Swarovski colt
AQUATIC - Beneteau - Halimeda colt
TALISKER - I am Invincible - Grand Bird colt
REVOLVER - Smart Missile - Sneakerella colt
STABLE CONNECTIONS IN MAGIC
MILLIONS BROODMARE CATALOGUE
Magic Millions have a star studded catalogue of broodmares set to go under the hammer next week and a quick browse through
turns up a few mares with ties to Chris Waller Racing including Rezoned, Salford Art, Champagne Cath (pictures of this special
mare with connections below), Belle de Coeur, Hidden Kisses (in foal to Zoustar), Hy Fuji (the dam of Kermadec and in foal to
Ocean Park), Midnight Dancer (in foal to Sizzling), Scarletini (in foal to Animal Kingdom), Caesar’s Princess (in foal to Pierro) and
Disclosure (in foal to Pierro).
CWR Bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster will be at the National Sale for all sessions including the Weanling Sale (24 & 25 May),
Broodmare Sale (27 - 31 May) and the Yearling Sale (2 - 4 June). Guy is available to inspect and consult on any lots you might be
interested in - give him a call on +61 431 627 881 or email [email protected] | www.mulcasterbloodstock.com
Star owners celebrate in Scone.
Masa and Avonaco.
Allon and
Hollywood Bound.
Del Cheema has been promoted to a stable foreman and
was especially chuffed with Avonaco’s win, being the
first from his barn.
Campanology.
Astro Sun tired but happy with himself after a promising
debut fourth from the Flemington stable this week. Now
off for a well earned break to mature further.
New recruits on the GC - Vilanova, Quick Strike,
Redoubtable Heart and Strawberry Boy with
Candice, Ali and James.
Neeeeiiiigghhbours (caption credit Matt Cumani)!
Fancy seeing you here..! I’m Imposing filling former Rosehill-based Waller
galloper Vodnik in on the goss.
The Redoute’s Choice - Ready to Lift colt
at the Flemington stables.