Craig Kerry
Master trainer Chris Waller hopes to give Joliestar a third crack at the Everest following her campaign at Royal Ascot after she scored her biggest victory to stamp a career-best streak in the $3 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).
Joliestar, unplaced her two Everest runs, backed up wins in the Expressway and Canterbury Stakes to power away from Giga Kick late for a half-length win. It gave Waller and jockey James McDonald a group 1 double on the day after Campione D’Italia claimed the group 1 Inglis Sires’ (1400m).
Waller said before the race that Joliestar had matured now at five and she proved that in the TJ to claim her fifth group 1 and biggest cheque. She now heads to Royal Ascot to contest the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, and Waller hoped owners Cambridge Stud wanted to target the $20 million Everest in October.
“I would,” Waller said of racing in the Everest.
“That’s the difference between her this year and last year. Last year she could pull out a belter, then wide draws and luck in running would often get her beat too, but she’s never far away. She just matured.”
Campione D’Italia earlier backed up a strong finish when fourth in the Golden Slipper with a three-quarter length victory in the Sires. Waller will weigh up a shot at another group 1, the Champagne Stakes (1600m), in two weeks.
“We’ll see how he comes through it,” he said.
“Obviously, it’s a big deal to win both. He will get the mile, it’s just if he’s ready for it.
“He’s a lovely colt, he’s got raw talent, just a lot of energy, but when you harness it, he can deliver some big things.”
Campione D’Italia’s breeder and part-owner Gerry Harvey, who earlier won the Country Championships with Chidiac, then stole the show.
“I passed it in and [Newgate’s] Henry Field and I had a talk and I said ‘I want 600, mate’, and he said ‘I’ll give you 500’ and I said ‘get lost’, but then I thought I oh no, I f—ing better do it, so I kept 20 per cent,” Waller said.
“Then one of the girls I’ve had working with me for 20 years said can I have 10 per cent? She’d never had a horse in her life, and she’s end up with Campione D’Italia, champion of Italy. Now he’s Campione D’Randwick.”
Emotional win for Cavanoughs
Georgie Cavanough said her “soft” father Brett told her “don’t cry” after they claimed the $1 million Country Championships final with Chidiac on Saturday at Randwick, just six months into their training partnership.
Dad, though, was the one close to tears.
“I’ve got to try and hold it together a bit, very special today to do it with Georgie,” the Scone trainer and former world record-breaking shearer said after Hong Kong-based star Zac Purton took Chidiac to a length win over Graceful Ellen.
“She tipped her all week, she had faith in her.”
It was first a Country Championship for Cavanough, who won the $2 million Kosciuszko with It’s Me in 2020 but had only two finalists in the country series before qualifying three this year with his daughter.
“That was unbelievable, I can barely breathe, I’m shaking,” Georgie said.
“I stuck solid to her, I said all week Chidiac, I said her class would take her a long way, query the distance, but she’s a very classy horse.
“I’m good, I’m good. Dad said don’t cry.”
King gets Newlook for Cup defence
Rachel King picked up an early stakes race double and a Sydney Cup ride when Newlook claimed the group 2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) for Cranbourne trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.
King took Bjorn Baker-trained, John Singleton-owned first-starter Blue Door to victory in the first, the group 3 Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) for two-year-olds, and backed up in the third to take five-year-old Newlook down the outside to win the Chairman’s, a length and a quarter from Campaldino.
The Sydney Cup winner last year on the now-retired Arapaho, King was keen to stick with Newlook next week in the group 1 over 3200m.
“He’ll take good improvement again,” King said.
“I galloped him on Tuesday and he bounced out of that [fifth in the Manion Cup] well and I thought he was definitely ready to step up today.”
Asked if she had a Cup ride before the win, she said: “No, I was waiting to see how he went, so I’ll probably ride him. I thought he would go good.”
The win eased the pain for Busuttin and Young, who lost Arcora a week earlier at Rosehill when he broke down in the Tulloch Stakes and was euthanised.
Baker was unsure of the next step for Blue Door, a $400,000 yearling buy which came from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable a month ago. Favourite The Next Episode, a $2.8 million colt, was slow away and powered home for a half-neck second.
Bush trainer catches a break
Autumn Break showed toughness to give Albury trainer Kym Davison a memorable first city winner and consolation prize in the group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m).
First emergency for the $1 million Country Championship final (1400m), Autumn Break instead ran in the race for three-year-olds and was strong late to beat Kilman by a nose under Sam Clipperton.
“First city winner so not a bad one to break the ice with,” Davison said.
“We were hoping to be in the next race, but this is a great consolation. The horse is bred to run 2000, so we’ve been trying to keep him a bit fresh for the 1400s.”
A $40,000 buy for Davison and a group of mates, Autumn Break will now go for spell and return for the spring, where the $2 million Kosciuszko looms large.
Davision, who has eight in work and has been training since 2000, said Autumn Break had bounced back from breaking an eye socket when hitting the barriers before coming third in the Country series heat at Wagga on February 28.
Autumn Glow on track for Queen Elizabeth
Owner John Messara is hoping for a dry surface for Autumn Glow next week in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes despite the unbeaten mare putting in a smooth piece of work on a soft 7 track on Saturday.
James McDonald took Autumn Glow for a 1000m hit-out between races at Randwick as light rain fell. She ran 1:04:98 for the trip and 36:04 for the last 600m. Messara said McDonald was very happy with the smooth gallop in which she strode out well and switched legs.
“Hopefully get a good track next week, we’re pleased we are not running today,” the Arrowfield Stud boss said.
“It’s not a bad track, but he’s always said, the day you see her on a firm track, you’ll see something different.”
Trainer Chris Waller said Autumn Glow had a “pretty good workout, she’s very clean in the wind and fit to run a strong 2000m”.
Waller said Lindermann, Wootton Verni and Ranvet-Tancred Stakes winner Aeliana, which “looked great” after a short break, would likely also run in the Queen Elizabeth.
