Rawiller worked Lindermann and Kovalica this week for Waller in preparation for the Alan Brown and was impressed with both, but he had no hesitation in sticking with Lindermann.
He had no luck, though, at the draw, copping the outside gate in what was a 14-horse field on Thursday, but the front-running combination remained favourites at $2.40 (Sportsbet).
“I think both are in great form, but I certainly wasn’t getting off Lindermann,” Rawiller said.
“He’s done nothing wrong. He’s probably going as good as anything in the country at the moment.
“Just hoping we can bounce back off what was an unbelievable performance last time, but just getting beat. I was really happy with Lindermann’s work Tuesday morning.
Lindermann tries to hold off Fangirl in the 7 Stakes.Credit: Getty Images
“I’m not too concerned about the gate, you’ve got a 350-400 metre run down that side there to sort of gain control. If something’s going too hard, it’s up to it, but he’s a horse that I just find that rhythm and just try and hold it and keep him happy, and he never lets you down, especially if you can get a decent track.”
Waller assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth rued the poor draw but said “it’s a perfect race” for Lindermann.
“He’s been so tough all preparation,” Duckworth said.
“He often gets half-written off as a second-tier horse, but even last year he only got beaten a length by Via Sistina, and all of his form is rock-solid. It’s just incredibly hard to win those races, so this is a perfect opportunity to pump up his bank balance.”
Duckworth said Kovalica ($7) was right back on track and drawn to get a perfect run in two, while Militarize ($14, gate one) was looking for the extra distance.
Rawiller, meanwhile, hoped for better luck with fast-finishing Grand Eagle in the group 3 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds.
The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Farnan colt, which won twice as a two-year-old, rattled home to finish second in a benchmark race on the Kensington track then was fourth in the listed Heritage Stakes (1100m) against his own age last start.
Rawiller was held up for a run briefly on Grand Eagle before finishing a length off winner Marhoona, which was the $2 favourite for the Roman Consul.
“He ran super, I would have loved to have had an ounce more luck at the 250m mark,” Rawiller said.
“He’s nice horse, I’ve had a good opinion of him since winning on him at Hawkesbury and I rode him in a couple of gallops before then and felt the horse had well above average ability.
“We probably found the key to him there early days just to ride him that bit quieter; he seems to enjoy that. If you can conserve that energy in the run, he just seems to let down with a great turn of foot.”
Rawiller, who also rides Providence for Waller in the Gloaming Stakes, is set to ride Moira in the Caulfield Cup on Saturday week. He also has bookings for Private Eye and Karinska on the program.
