Craig Kerry
Premier trainer Chris Waller wanted a soft draw and fast-run race to give “bad boy” Campione D’Italia his chance to shine at group 1 level on Saturday in the Inglis Sires (1400m).
Waller ticked at least one box on Tuesday when the Snitzel colt drew gate three for the $1 million race, where he is a $4.20 second elect behind Golden Slipper runner-up Streisand ($3.50).
Campione D’Italia was a fast-finishing fourth wide out in the 1200m Slipper after coming from last, despite a draw in gate two. The run made him favourite in early markets for the 1400m Sires and Waller is pleased with how he came through the race.
Last on debut in the Lonhro Plate (1000m), Campione D’Italia then charged late to win the 1200m Skyline Stakes as a $41 chance. Before the Slipper, Waller dubbed him the bad boy of his trio in the race, but he has been happy with his progress.
“It was only his third start in a race, and as you can see, he’s getting more tractable each time he runs,” Waller said of the Slipper run.
“I’d love to see him draw a barrier and some speed in the race, and that’ll play into his hands.
“He’s learning all the time. He’s coping really well with his racing. You wouldn’t know he’s had a run, and it was good to see him finish off so well.
“He could easily be racing over a mile as a three-year-old, and if we need to, so he’s come a long way.”
Waller also has Fireball, another son of Snitzel in the Sires. Fireball drew gate 12 and was $18 after finishing seventh in the Slipper, a length further back than Campione D’Italia. James McDonald switches to Campione D’Italia and Tim Clark takes over aboard Fireball.
“He wasn’t beaten far and I thought he raced like a 1400m horse, too,” Waller said. “He wasn’t going to win at the 300, but he wasn’t beaten far.”
Waller and McDonald combine in the $3 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), where Joliestar is a $4 hope from gate five of nine. The mare has been in top form this preparation, winning the Expressway and Canterbury Stakes as Waller aims her at an assault on Royal Ascot following Saturday’s run.
She was two lengths away in ninth in last year’s TJ Smith but is finding consistency this season.
“She’s well. I can’t fault her, and she’s two from two this prep,” Waller said. “She’s a confident lady taking the next step with consistency, and she’s going great.
“You just see that with more mature horses. That’s the difference between I think your five-year-olds and your four-year-olds. Four-year-olds still do a few little things wrong. The five-year-olds, they know what they’re doing – they can race themselves.”
Waller has three hopes in the Doncaster Mile, headed by three-year-old colts Autumn Boy ($7) and Sixties ($13), which are the next best in the market behind Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained Sheza Alibi ($2.10).
Autumn Boy was soundly beaten by Sheza Alibi in the 1600m Randwick Guineas, but then bounce back to dominate the Rosehill Guineas at 2000m in her absence.
Asked how Autumn Boy turns the tables on the filly, Waller joked: “He’s come through it really well, and he didn’t see her coming the other day, she was that fast. So we’ll put some rear-vision mirrors on them.
“But, yeah, she was terrific, and he was great the other day, so it comes down to luck in running, and obviously coming back into a mile, it’s not easy.
“I don’t think he needs blinkers as a racehorse, but I’ll put them on to make sure that he has got that extra. He’s there in Kerrin’s [McEvoy] hands when he asks him to quicken.
“You need a strong 2000m horse to win a tough Randwick mile.”
While Autumn Boy drew gate one, Sixties has the outside barrier. Rachel King rides the last-start winner.
“Sixties is a very talented horse, and he’s shown that with his Phar Lap win, and before that as well,” Waller said.
“He didn’t get much luck in his last group 1, which was [a third in] the Australian Guineas, he drew wide and had to go forward, and it just didn’t quite work for him.
“Back to this type of handicap conditions … he could certainly be in the top three. He’s a really good horse and beautiful natured horse. He’s already a stable favourite.”
Militarize, a $51 chance, rounds out Waller’s Doncaster team.
“He hasn’t been beaten far the last two times he’s run in the race,” he said.
