The modern swing of top-heavy Sydney racing is again weighted with Chris Waller’s four out of nine acceptors in Saturday’s intriguing Golden Rose at Rosehill Gardens.
Major stables, principally Waller but Ciaron Maher joining the fray, are monopolising events, major and minor, like never before and it’s going to escalate.
Is this good and healthy for the industry, particularly from the punting viewpoint?
Maher in particular is building an empire in numbers and property to train them, even greater than the Colin Hayes extravaganza, centred in Lindsay Park, South Australia.
Waller is up to the challenge with a season promising so much return, over-flowing with difficult to separate talent, and the Golden Rose is a prime example.
Tommy Smith, the Sydney record breaker previously, dominated but never with the current numbers in races. The Bart Cummings genius was always evident but as Smith quipped there was always “crumbs left from the great man’s plate”.
Group ones carried glory but once successful training was based around stealth and cunning: winning when the betting money was on. Both Smith and Cummings had their coups. The 1991 Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double with Let’s Elope settling from bookmakers was big for Cummings.
But now it’s more statistics, and Waller is hot on the trail of another Group one with a team headed by Wodeton plus backups Beiwacht, Autumn Boy and Sixties, in Saturday’s $1 million 1400 metre sprint. They have to overcome favourite and highly talented Tempted, tuned by Maher with State Visit a second string.
Tempted is best to my eye and will have to make mistakes while Wodeton requires saddle assistance lacking in recent racing.
At the last four starts Best Bets listed Wodeton’s tale of woe as “unlucky”, “three wide gave all”, “allow 1” (would have finished closer but for interference) an “had no favours”.
Last time out Wodeton was beaten under three lengths from a wide gate (9) over the Rosehill 1200 metres after easing alarmingly in the betting from $4.80 to $8. The colt went back and came wide. The track was described as “close to the rail an advantage”.
In the Golden Rose Wodeton launches from the one gate with blinkers. The gamble is James McDonald will do everything right on the colt and Tempted strikes turbulence.
Wodeton’s two defeats are from the nine barrier, wide always a problem for Waller horses. Generally they go back.
Tempted, under Ethan Brown, jumps from eight, a tricky launch. Melbourne based Brown is adaptable. The pressure she endures early can make the difference. That’s why I am tipping Wodeton with the $5 on offer being an influence.
Fillies also have an appalling record in the Golden Rose, with their only success from 45 attempts being Forensics (2008) when the race was switched to autumn due to equine influenza in the spring.
Of course, the less fancied of the Waller team invariably upset more favoured stablemates, the situation when Sixties ($7) downed Autumn Boy, the $2.60, at Rosehill recently. Seasons back I claimed a world record for him regarding this trend. Yes, it indicates they are all at full throttle, a policy often lacking in the good, old days.
Looking for a second string to Wodeton, Autumn Boy appeals on the score of potential. Having only his third start, and a sharp rise in grade, the colt will have blinkers for the first time. Blinkers were first applied to his sire, The Autumn Sun, when he won the Golden Rose in 2008.
With major stables monopolising races wise guys are wary of team riding, with an over-reaction by stewards recently not involving a Waller group. The new chief stipe Tom Moxon is keeping a wary eye on the situation.
Still eyebrows raised when Waller’s Full Count Felicia took off like a scalded cat in the Kingston Town Stakes at Randwick last Saturday at a tempo that benefitted winner and stablemate Birdman, getting equal assistance from Kerrin McEvoy, superb on stayers. Full Count Felicia was beaten 10 lengths but her pattern abroad before coming here was leading – the same situation as Lindermann, another Waller front-runner, and his mighty mare Fangirl in the 7Stakes on the same program. Waller had five out of the eight starters. And it doesn’t get any better than Lindemann, in full flight under Nash Rawiller, with Fangirl gliding for J-Mac down the Randwick straight.
