CHRIS WALLER IS LOOKING TO LAND HIS THIRD SUCCESSIVE QUEENSLAND GUINEAS VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Friday, April 30, 2021

The Chris Waller trained Kolding once again showed just what a good horse he is when he got his head down on the line to thwart the game effort of Savatiano in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes in a mesmerising two-way finish at Randwick last Saturday.

That’s eleven wins from thirty starts for Kolding now and, in case you missed it, his career prize-money earnings now stands at $6 387 200. Other Group 1 wins behind Kolding’s name includes the 2019 Epsom and the George Main Stakes, amongst other multiple Group race wins and, of course, Kolding also won the 2019 Golden Eagle.

That record puts the status of the Group 2 Queensland Guineas in good standing as it was in the Queensland Guineas of 2019 that Kolding scored his breakthrough win in Group company before kicking on to better things.

That was the last time the Queensland Guineas was run with the scheduled 2020 edition of the event becoming a casualty of Covid-19.

Chris Waller will be looking for his third successive win in the race as he also won the Queensland Guineas with Sambro in 2018 and his fourth win overall after taking out to 2016 running of the race with Tsaritsa. Interestingly, all three of Wallers Queensland Guineas winners were ridden by different jockeys … James McDonald (Kolding), High Bowman (Sambro) and Joao Moreira (Tsaritsa).

Waller nominated four runners this time around … Bucharest, Kukeracha, Tangtze Rapids and Mightybeel … but has only accepted with Bucharest (Hugh Bowman) and Kukeracha (Luke Dittman).

The last five winners of the Queensland Guineas have all been saddled by visiting trainers with Jason Coyle (with Salsonic) and Mick Price (Jabali) also getting onto the honour roll. Neither of these trainers has a runner in the big race on Saturday.

This Saturday’s field has seven different trainers saddling up runners with Annabel Neasham (Holyfield) and Joe Pride (Private Eye) joining Waller in the visiting brigade.

Locals trainers shooting for the $203 000 first prize are Desleigh Forster (Apache Chase), the Steven O’Dea, Matt Hoysted training partnership (Tumbler Ridge), Tom Button (Rollinwiththeflow) and Daiki Chuko (Be Water My Friend).

The last time a local trainer won the race was when Sir Moments saluted for trainer Steve O’Dea in 2014.

That victory, in fact that whole raceday, is now looked back on as a poignant occasion … but, at the same time, is also fondly remembered amidst all of the subsequent sadness … as that day belonged to the late Tim Bell with his three winners on the card standing as a life-long legacy to his riding skills.

Apart from Sir Moments (a Group 2 win), Bell also partnered Tinto to victory (in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks) and Sacred Star (in the Group 2 Magic Millions QTC Cup), winning the last three races on the card in spectacular fashion.

Steven O’Dea, who now trains in partnership with Matthew Hoysted, has last start winner Tumbler Ridge engaged on Saturday.

The Group 2 Queensland Guineas is the main feature at Eagle Farm with the Victory Stakes … another Group 2 race … and the Listed Dalrello Stakes being the supporting features.

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