THE PETLEY REPORT: WALLER'S SEASON'S STATISTICS CONTINUE TO SOAR AS HE STRIKES ON THREE FRONTS

By Jack Petley | Sunday, May 9, 2021

NZ born champion trainer Chris Waller went into racing in Australia yesterday with the amazing figures for the season so far of 259 winners and over $35 million in stake-money … and by the end of the day he had won races at three of the four major meetings.

Waller kicked off the day with the win by I Could Do Better, in the hands of William Pike, and heavily backed too, at the Gold Coast meeting. In race 5 he went ever so close with that smart colt Ranch Hand in the Ken Russel Memorial, won in the last stride by Subterranean, but he made up for that close call by producing the trifecta in the next, in the Gold Bracelet, with Grace And Harmony, Signora Nera and Only Words, all NZ Bred.

At the Gosford meeting Waller’s first winner of the day there was Blondeau in the hands of Tommy Berry and then later in the day he and Berry combined with a dashing win by Polly Grey in the Gosford Gold Cup … while, at Caulfield, he was successful with Rousseau.

And what a great day for a good mate of Waller's, Novara Park's Luigi Muollo. He bred both Signora Nera (Sweynesse) and Only Words (also by the same sire) … AND he also the winner of the South Australian Derby, that incedible staying three-year-old Explosive Jack. All of those fillies will clash next in the Gr3 The Roses and then in the Oaks, a race that Waller has won four times in the past six years.

Now to that win by Explosive Jack at Morphetville, his third Derby win, a wonderful feat and with the Queensland Derby to come. He is by Jackalberry, a high class Gr1 winner in Europe, who died at stud after a gut infection after only four seasons at stud. Peter Moody took the 3yold out of the Karaka sale ring for $100,000 at the time when he was not training. The three-year-old is raced by a syndicate and in the ownership are Mick and Alise Johnson, who shared in the ownership of Jackalberry.

The Gosford Cup was the seocnd win by Polly Grey since crossing the Tasman to join Waller Racing. In the ownership of the grey mare is her former trainer, Kylie Fawcett. Other Kiwis also had their luck at the Gosford meeting with Bjorn Baker winning the first winner on the card with Overpass, and a stylish win,too. Jason Collett won the Takeover Target for Kris Lees on Enchanted Heart.

Popular John Sargent took out the biggest stake of the day, the $500,000 The Coast with Brandenburg, for Regan Bayliss. Sargent has also entered the son of Burgundy for the Gold Coast but opted for Gosford. The easy track suited the galloper and he powered away over the final stage. Now, said Sargent, he will send the Gosford winner north to Brisbane for the Doomben Cup.

One had to be impressed with that win by the import Zaaki for Anabelle Neasham in the Hollindale Stakes. James McDonald took the galloper to the lead off the home bend and the result was never in doubt. Judged by that win he is going to be a star in the spring in the majors for Neasham.

Nash Rawiller just got Subterranean home in the last stride over Ranch Hand, but the win was costlyfor the rider as he was found guilty of over-use of his whip and he was suspended for eight days, but beforehand he will rider Eduardo in a Gr1 sprint, the Doomben 10 000. ,Eduardo, by the way, won his trial on Friday for Joe Pride and the trainer is ever so happy as he prepares to take his star sprinter to Queensland.

An impressive winner at Caulfield was the NZ bred Ayrton for the Kent-Price yard. The two-year-old wound up a wonderful winning day for Jamie Kah to take out the last event and he won with ever so much in hand. That win was Kah's fifth for the day. Now,said Mick Price, the smart young galloper will head towards the Stradbroke Handicap, but he may still need to win another before he makes the field so he will tackle the Fred Best. Said Mick Price, a great judge of horseflesh," I think he is one of the better horses I have had." And he said that earlier on Hong Kong buyers had chased him for a stake, but he said that was " not on." The three-year-old now sits at $4 for the Stradbroke.

Another of Kah's winners on the day was Excelman, a son of Reliable Man and a $400,000 Karaka purchase. He is trained by Richard Lamming and looks a promising stayer. "He made winning look easy,"said Kah, who is streets ahead of her rivals in the Victorian Premiership.

In NZ trainer Fraser Auret had a red letter day capturing both feature races at the Riccarton meeting. The Marton trainer won the listed Champagne Stakes with debut runner, Unusual Countess, and then later in the day Streak of Power took out the listed Easter Stakes. Both are raced by Auret's parents, Nigel and Adaire, who stand Hollywood Turf Cup winner, Unusual Suspect, sire of the Champagne Stakes winner, at their Letham Stud at Wanganui.

In HK, at Sha Tin, the Danny Shum trained Hongkong Great smashed the Sha Tin dirt track record for 1650 metres and the win gave Zac Purton a treble for the day. The horse raced in Chile, winning 3 Gr1s before heading into Hong Kong and Shum said he would like to try the outstanding galloper on the world stage once Covid 19 barriers are withdrawn, Purton’s treble sees him now sits 14 wins behind his arch rival Joao Moreira, 105 to 119, with 18 meetings to go.

Casper Fownes produced the Savabeel galloper Killer Bee for a strong win and Jack Wong was rewarded for his dogged persistence with his a first winner for the season from some 231 rides.

At Lingfield, Third Realm looked a Derby chance with success in the Novibet Derby trial. He is a son of the Derby hero Sea The Stars. He had his odds slashed from 100 to 10-1 after the dashing win.