Craig Kerry
Chris Waller completed an emotional group 1 domination of the Sydney autumn carnival with stallion prospects Fireball and Beiwacht claiming the last two elite races on Saturday at Randwick.
The premier trainer had claimed at least one group 1 race on every Saturday of top-level racing in Sydney since it returned on February 28, and he stretched it to eight consecutive weeks on the final day of the carnival when Fireball won the Champagne Stakes and Beiwacht took out the All Aged Stakes.
The double gave Waller 12 Sydney group 1s across the carnival and he rounded it out in style on Saturday with the trifecta in the Champagne Stakes (1600m) for two-year-olds and quinella in the All Aged (1400m).
“I can’t explain it,” Waller said.
“It was mentioned before and it got me emotional … so much goes into it.”
The 10 group 1s before Saturday had come with James McDonald in the saddle. Tim Clark (Fireball) and Nash Rawiller (Beiwacht) got in on the party on Saturday. It was a first group 1 win for Clark with Waller.
Clark pushed Snitzel colt Fireball to victory over ATC Sires’ winner Campione D’Italia and Diameter, while Rawiller led all the way on Beiwacht, which beat Lazzura by a length.
It was a second group 1 for Godolphin’s Bivouac three-year-old colt Beiwacht, which ran a race record time to win the 1400m Golden Rose at Rosehill in the spring. Defending champion Jimmysstar stormed home for third.
“This is a proper stallion-making race for him, and he’s already won the Golden Rose, a Silver Slipper, and now he’s won an All Aged Stakes against the older horses, so he’s got a good CV,” Waller said.
Godolphin Australia boss Andy Makiv indicated Beiwacht would race on in the spring and target 1400m races like the Futurity Stakes.
Fireball, having his sixth start, also stamped his credentials as a future stallion on Saturday on a day fellow Snitzel progeny Snitzel Dancer and Matias won group 3 races. Snitzel, which died in June last year at the age of 22, was a four-time champion Australian sire.
Fireball, the Inglis Millennium winner, now has more than $2 million in prize money.
“Full credit to the horse because he’s been able to deal with it,” Waller said.
“As I said to the owners before the race, he’s coping so well. You wouldn’t know he’s deep into a prep, each run has had so much merit and not a lot of luck, so he deserved that today.
“I thought in the Golden Slipper, he was beaten at the 300m, but he was still strong through the line, then that showed me that 1400m, and then last start he didn’t have much luck. He was great.”
Waller finished with four victories on the day after Asterix claimed the group 3 JRA Plate and Captain Furai won the last.
Prominent bloodstock agent James Harron, who paid $460,000 for Fireball as a yearling, was excited to have a group 1-winning son of Snitzel.
“He was always just a gorgeous colt at the Easter sales. Lovely big scopey son of Snitzel,” Harron said.
“Snitzel, unfortunately, he’s not with us any more, but he’s just left an incredible mark in the industry, and he continues to do it every single week, which is incredible. And, you know, he’s a horse we had to have.
“To have a son like him winning waiting in the wings is exactly what we’re trying to do in the business.
“We’re targeting sons of Snitzel and it’s nice when a plan comes off.”
