Waller weekly news 30 October 2015 Counterattack. Chris called it last week commenting that Winx could just be the next superstar of the Australian turf and on Saturday at Moonee Valley she confirmed it in breath-taking fashion, beating Might and Powers record Cox Plate time from 1998 and becoming only the eighth mare to win the $3 million race. The seventh Group One for the stable this season and 54th all up, this win holds special significance being the first of the elusive four majors we have captured. Adding further satisfaction, Winx was selected as a yearling by our sales team headed up by Guy Mulcaster and Dr Tim Roberts from Magic Millions and was knocked down to great stable clients in Peter and Patty Tighe s Magic Bloodstock for $230,000 with the Kepitis family and Richard Treweeke joining the ownership group. Six other winners in the form of Rockolicious, Now s the Time, Feast for Eyes, Yellen, Electrifyin and Gigolo made for another hugely successful week for the team as we look forward to plenty of exciting racing action in the coming week. INSIDE THIS ISSUE WINNERs We wish you all safe racing and the very best of luck over the next week! News, getting to know RAQUEL BENNEtt & photos. Winx and Hugh Bowman easing down in the Cox Plate. www.cwallerracing.com admin@cwallerracing.com +612 9760 5700
CHRIS WALLER RACING - WINNERS THIS WEEK WINX 3yo F Street Cry - Vegas Showgirl by Al Akbar There were many superlatives used to describe Winx s stunning display in Saturday s Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. She showed that she is a true superstar when winning this time honoured Group One by almost five lengths while also smashing the race record set by none other than the mighty Might and Power. Hugh Bowman produced a masterful ride from barrier one, saving ground near the rails throughout before seizing the initiative on the turn for home. Winx quickened away for an effortless success and she will now go for a well-earned spell before targeting the Autumn Carnival in Sydney. rockolicious 4yo M Fastnet Rock - Rock Diva by Woodman This daughter of champion sire Fastnet Rock is building a healthy record and she made it four wins from just seven starts at Randwick on Saturday over 1400m. Kiwi apprentice Rory Hutchings was on board and he produced a gun ride, having the mare in second place in the running before taking over late on to score comfortably. Rockolicous is certainly providing plenty of fun for her large ownership group headed by Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock and on the evidence of this win there should be plenty more to come. gigolo 3yo G Bernardini - Dama de Noche by Snippets The son of Bernardini gained a well deserved maiden win when scoring at Canterbury on Wednesday over 1200m. Glyn Schofield was in the saddle and he had him travelling in midfield early before hitting the front inside the final furlong for a narrow but decisive win. Having run second on three occasions just seven starts prior to Wednesday s victory, Gigolo should gain plenty of confidence from this win and Chris will assess how he has pulled up before making immediate plans. Thanks to Bradley Photographers and darryl sherer for our weekly photos. www.bradleyphotos.com.au
feast for eyes 3yo C More Than Ready - St Katherine by Barathea Mr Lai s talented colt Feast for Eyes made a return to the winners enclosure when scoring at Canterbury on Wednesday over 1580m. As with this son of More Than Ready s previous career victory, Jim Cassidy was on board and he produced a masterful ride from the front. Cassidy controlled the race from the outset and the perfect result never really looked in doubt. This was a dominant victory considering he carried a massive 61kg. Both Feast For Eyes career victories have been around the Canterbury circuit and he is likely to return there in a fortnight for a similar race. now s the time 7yo G Dansili - Pride by Peintre Celebre This imported son of Dansili recorded his second Australian success when winning at Canterbury on Wednesday over 1900m. James McDonald took the mount and he had him in a good position throughout the race travelling in third before hitting the front inside the final furlong for a strong win. Now s the Time may be small in stature but he makes up for it with a strong will to win and he should continue to pay his way in the coming weeks. electrifyin 4yo G Redoute s Choice - I Got Chills by General Nediym This son of Redoute s Choice seemed to relish the return to softer underfoot conditions when winning at Canterbury on Wednesday over 1550m. Jason Collet was in the saddle and he showed why he is a jockey in form by producing a patient ride before timing his run to perfection to score narrowly. This was the second career win for the gelding who has also recorded seven placings from 13 starts. yellen 4yo M Pentire - Bound to Impress by Galileo This New Zealand bred daughter of Pentire made a winning return to action at Kembla Grange on Saturday over 1400m. Lester Grace took the mount and he showed plenty of patience settling the mare at the rear of the small field early on. Yellen then sprinted away inside the final furlong to score easily. This will no doubt serve as a good confidence boost for Yellen and considering that she should improve as she steps up in distance, she should be in for a profitable campaign. WEEKLY VIDEO UPDATE Click on the image to the left to go to this week s video update with heaps of great information on the stable s runners over the next few days!
SHADES OF SUNLINE - WINX S COX PLATE peter and patty tighe - magic bloodstock Winx s win was truly Life changing and History in the Making. For us it was great to be part of a team of dedicated people, whose skills were rewarded with a COX PLATE. Owning horses is the easy part, especially ones like her, all credit goes to the whole team at Waller s - they all truly deserve it. Co-owner Debbie Kepitis It was an amazing day - Winx proved herself in front of the world. The look of pride and joy my Dad's face when I appeared with the Cox Plate 20 years after he achieved the same thrill with Octagonal made the win all the more special. This brought tears to his eyes. jockey hugh bowman From the 800 I was very confident but from the 600 when The Cleaner rolled off and I went through I didn t want to be going that early but sometimes you don t have choices, you ve got to take the cards you are dealt and I was on the premium mare that was able to capitalise on the run that I got. To be here riding on this day, to win a race like this I can t tell you how much it means. bloodstock agent guy mulcaster At the sales I thought she was very typical of a filly from a New Zealand-bred mare in that she had a lovely frame but would need to be given time for the strength and maturity to come. With time this blood continues to improve as has been the case with Winx. chris - what it feels like train a cox plate winner If anyone wants to know the feeling, you know what to do tonight!
Vertigo can t stop Winx owner living the dream from his lounge Richard Treweeke likes to refer to his previous ventures into racehorse ownership spanning more than half a century as akin to having "chase horses rather than racehorses". But when the Sydney octogenarian was told about a filly that might have left the "chase horse" mould behind he wanted to see it for himself. So Treweeke popped along to Rosehill one day, watched a filly named Winx win her second start and has been celebrating in front of his TV at almost every start since. "I've been involved with horses since 1957 and I'd never seen one win [in person] until Winx," Treweeke said from his Mosman home after Chris Waller's filly smoked her rivals in a record-breaking Cox Plate. Treweeke had planned to make the trip to Moonee Valley, but a bout of vertigo rendered it impossible. Instead the on-course representation was left to his partners in the horse: Peter Tighe, who used to race a few with Treweeke and Gold Coast trainer Alan Bailey before his retirement, and Debbie Kepitis, the youngest daughter of Bob Ingham. It's doubtful they would have cheered as loud as Treweeke, even allowing for Kepitis' trademark "yahoo" whenever she is bound for the winner's circle. "I've been falling over and getting giddy," Treweeke said. "I'm 85 in November, but this might straighten me up again. "I was yelling [at the TV]. It was very, very exciting. I've had so many phone calls since and people that have followed the horse are very excited. I give them information about her and they feel a part of it. "It's a dream... it's just a dream and I will wake up soon." He will also tell them how a farmer hailing from Orange in the state's central west started owning horses all those years ago. The journey to racing utopia hasn't been as long for Tighe and Kepitis, but no less special. On the advice of Chris Waller's bloodstock guru Guy Mulcaster, Tighe and his Magic Bloodstock arm forked out $230,000 for the filly sold in a Coolmore Magic Millions draft. And then she beat up on the boys in Australasia's weight-for-age title fight. "I used to be happy just to come to the races," Tighe said. "Then to have a runner, then have a good horse... everything has come to fruition and it's what you dream of. What can you say? We came to beat the best in the world and we didn't beat them we flogged them. It makes it all the more sweeter. It's unbelievable."- Adam Pengilly
Waller says Preferment is his best ever chance of a Melbourne Cup Trainer Chris Waller says Preferment is his best ever chance to win the Melbourne Cup, despite an average run in the Cox Plate. Waller goes into the Cup on a high after winning the Australian weight-for-age classic with Winx on Saturday. He has three runners in the Cup, in WhoShotThebarman, Grand Marshal and Preferment. Speaking to reporters after trackwork at Flemington on Tuesday, Waller said he was not concerned about Preferment's ninth place finish at Moonee Valley. "I thought his run was good, in normal years I think it would have been a better run than it actually ended up," he said. "His finishing placing might not look good on paper but I think the way the track was racing it was a little bit hard to make up ground out where he was. "I'd regard him as the sexy horse of our three - he's the son of Zabeel, he's a (Victorian) Derby winner, he's a Turnbull Stakes winner this preparation, and he's got a bit of wow factor about him. "He's just turned four, and a four-year-old's a horse can really improve. "There's some great old horses in the Melbourne Cup, it's a stellar year of horses and a lot of them are older horses. "It's great to have them here but they won't improve, they'll hold their form which is again the benchmark, but a horse like Preferment could really lift to go to that level. "With Preferment we're very happy with him going towards the Melbourne Cup, I think he's the best chance I've had in a Melbourne Cup. "And it's pretty good to have a horse like WhoShotThebarman backing him up, who ran third last year and a horse like Grand Marshal who beat WhoShotTheBarman in the Sydney Cup." Preferment has 53.5kg in the Cup, while WhoShotThebarman will carry 54.5kg and Grand Marshal 53.5kg. "We might say that the Victorian Derby is not the best form, but the fact is (Preferment) is a 2,500m winner at three years old and then the other two are proven two-mile performers," Waller said. "I think that guarantees you a first half of the field finish, and then they have to lift against the best in the world, the best of Australia, all the in-form horses coming together on the day. "If you can compete at that top level, you're going to be a big chance of winning a Melbourne Cup." Waller was asked the perennial question of how the local horses would go against the international raiders next Tuesday. "I think we're going pretty good, we've got to call the New Zealanders locals as well, of course, with Mongolian Khan," he said. "Look, it's getting harder and harder every year, but that's the way the world has evolved. "It's great for racing, it's great for Australia - they came out as well for the Cox Plate as well, and we managed to fight them off there." "Our stable's certainly very strong, you've got Lloyd Williams, and Gai Waterhouse, (David) Hayes and so many other great trainers with good chances and you can't beat a bit of local knowledge."'- ABC.net
royal descent can thrive back at 1600m in myer Royal Descent (Redoute s Choice) could prove very hard to beat back at the shorter trip of tomorrow s Myer Classic (registered as Empire Rose Stakes) (Gr 1,1600m), having failed to fire in the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1,2400m) earlier this month, according to trainer Chris Waller. Prior to her Caulfield outing, the mare had been as consistent as always, finally getting her head in front when resuming in the Warwick Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) in August, before running third in the Chelmsford Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) and second in both the George Main Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m). Royal Descent will wear blinkers in tomorrow s race and Waller told ANZ Bloodstock News the six-year-old had been given an easy time by jockey Glen Boss to finish last of the 18 runners on 17 October. She has freshened up beautifully since Caulfield Cup and the blinkers go on, he said. I don t think she had an overly taxing run, Bossy was pretty kind to her. If she is anywhere near her best, she will be very hard to beat; in the past two years, she has been the best performed mare in the country over a mile. Royal Descent, drawn in barrier five, is one of 15 set to line up in the race, with her stablemate and fellow Group One winner Amicus (Fastnet Rock) hoping to return to winning ways from barrier 11. The four-year-old took out the Toy Show Handicap (Gr 3, 1300m) when resuming, before adding the Let s Elope Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) last month. She has since finished down the field in both the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and Tristarc Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) though and Waller is hoping a return to Flemington will spark a revival in fortunes. She will appreciate getting back to Flemington, he said. She is a Group One winner at a mile, so she is in this race up to her ears. Unsurprisingly, Waller is well represented in the day s three other Group One races at Flemington, with a pair of runners set to take on strong favourite Exosphere (Lonhro) in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (registered as Ascot Vale Stakes) (Gr 1, 1200m). Japonisme (Choisir) was one of the surprise packages of the early part of the spring, putting together a four-race unbeaten sequence that culminated with victory in the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) in August. He was beaten three and a half lengths by Exosphere in the Roman Consul Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) most recently and will jump from barrier three, with stablemate Counterattack (Redoute s Choice) drawn in barrier 11 in the 12-horse field. Japonisme has been a horse who has probably continued to surprise most people from a midweek maiden at Canterbury until now, Waller said. He s freshened up from that Roman Consul and has done well. He s in the same boat as Counterattack; if the favourite doesn t perform up to expectations or doesn t handle racing down the straight, he will be there racing alongside Counterattack. He beat Counterattack last start and he has since come out and won; they are very similar horses. Royal Descent. Counterattack is going pretty good. I quite like this horse; he had a quiet jump out on Friday after racing the previous Saturday in Sydney. He s very fit and very well and has drawn on the same side of the track as our last two winners of the race.
Hopefully he can get a bit of cover. The favourite is in his own hemisphere but if he were to fail, our horse is a live chance. In the Lexus Stakes (registered as Hotham Handicap) (Gr 3, 2500m), Junoob (Haafhd) will bid to build on his return to form when second in the City Tattersalls Club Cup (Listed, 2400m) earlier this month and has been drawn in barrier ten in the 13-horse field, with the top weight of 58.5kg. Second in at the weights with 57kg is stablemate Hawkspur (Purrealist), who has been drawn in barrier 12 and comes into the race having also rediscovered some form when third in the Bart Cummings Handicap (Gr 3, 2520m) on 4 October. It was good to see both horses return to form at their last starts, Waller said. Junoob s run at Randwick was very good and he will appreciate a dry track. Obviously the rain forecast in Melbourne this weekend will be a bit of a concern but this is probably the right sort of race at this stage of his career. Hawkspur seems to appreciate being ridden a bit quieter and he found the line well last time. The form out of that race has been super, with Our Ivanhoe coming out and running third in the Caulfield Cup. He should run well. Flamingo Star (Areion) heads three Waller runners in the Mackinnon Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), meanwhile, and comes into the race on the back of running fifth in the Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m). He will jump from barrier nine in the 15-horse field, with stablemate Weary (Astronomer Royal) seeking to get back on track from barrier 13, having run last in the Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) earlier this month. The pair are set to be joined in the line-up by Index Linked (Dansili), third Flamingo Star. most recently in the Cranbourne Cup (Listed, 2025m) earlier this month. Flamingo Star s run in the Toorak was very good, although he is going into weight-for-age company now, which will be a challenge for him, Waller said. He s not a Group One winner but he has got good European form. He is yet to be tested at 2000 metres but we think it will bring a fair bit of improvement in his performances. He s on track to run very well. Weary s last couple of runs have been disappointing and unfortunately he s drawn wide again. Hopefully he can recapture the form he showed earlier in his preparation and he could be a chance in this race. We will ride him quietly and see how he finishes off. Index Linked s run last start was good. This is a big step up but he s been a hard horse to find the right race for because in handicap s he gets a lot of weight. The distance is spot on and the track is spot on; never say never but if he finishes top six we will be happy as Larry. Waller will also saddle the import Kool Kompany (Jeremy) for his Australian debut in the Guvera Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) on Saturday, who was purchased privately by agent Mark Player having gone unsold at 730,000 at the DBS September Sale in 2014. The colt, formerly trained by Richard Hannon in the UK, won the Railway Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) and Prix Robert Papin (Gr 2, 1100m) before finishing second in the Phoenix Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at two and took out Newmarket s Craven Stakes (Gr 3, 1m) when resuming at three in April. Waller said: He is settling in well and will be a much better horse in the autumn. His work suggested there was no reason not to run him this weekend; his jump out at Flemington last week was good. - ANZ Bloodstock News
THIS WEEKEND S STABLE RUNNERS Click here to go to the website for more information on our stable runners.
GETTING TO KNOW raquel bennett CWR Flemington-based work rider Raquel Bennett has been riding since she could walk. Her career in the saddle started off with show horses and progressed onto riding event horses and in races in Perth before she was injured putting an end to those plans. Raquel has been riding race horses for 10 or so years and is also an Art student. Nickname? Rocket, Raq Favourite quote? Be good to the animals and they ll be good to you. Favourite part of the job? When the horses do funny stuff. Favourite horse? Radioactive, Bannatyne, Amovatio, Hawkspur, Amicus and Jimmy (the Jimmy Choux Keepa Cheval colt). Best horse ever seen? They are all the best! Role model? My Dad. Favourite food? Anything vegetarian. Favourite jockey? Jordan Mallyon If you weren t in racing, what would you have done? Something art related or something to do with tattoos. If you could invite two people for dinner, who would you invite? Thom Yorke and Courtney Love Event in the world that you would most like to attend? The Andy Warhol exhibition in December. What would you do with your last $5? I would try and double it. Tip for the weekend? Bannatyne.
Eddie, Tom and Natalie ready to rock and roll before the Cox Plate. Winx and Eddie. COX PLATE CAPTION COMPETITION Congratulations to Michael Burn who got a good laugh out of the ladies in the office with his caption for the photo of Chris and Kermadec last week. For those that watch the weekly video update, jokes about Chris s hair always go down a treat at CWR! It is quite unfair that you can have that much ability and a great fringe as well
Preferment and Flamingo Star doing their best to take some of the media attention off Winx on Sunday morning. Bannatyne. Kool Kompany.
Chandana. The Warwick Farm team getting into Cup spirit with Meet and Rocky holding forman Andrew Clarken s rug won by Brew. The Kaierau netball team from Wanganui are getting into Cup spirit and will be cheering for local hero Who Shot Thebarman. Rockolicious at Randwick.