Waller’s winners ease the pain of tough loss for stable

Premier trainer Chris Waller produced two of the best horses in the country to win within 40 minutes of each other at Randwick, plus a group 1 winner in Melbourne, but his heart was with fallen dual Derby winner Riff Rocket on Saturday.

“The start of the week was tough,” an emotional Waller said. “Losing a horse like Riff Rocket affects everyone and everything we do. It was so hard. You have a day like today and everyone thinks that makes it better. It doesn’t.

“We had a couple of very good winners today, but I’m still feeling Tuesday [when Riff Rocket was euthanised]. Racing moves on at pace, but it is hard for everyone in our stable to do that.”

McHale, Autumn Glow and Fangirl gave Waller another Sydney treble before Buckaroo added a group 1 in Melbourne with a runaway win in the Underwood Stakes. It would usually have Waller reflecting on the day, which in terms of quality was probably his best since Verry Elleegant and Nature Strip were around together a couple of years ago.

It is not often a Waller horse touches $101 but McHale opened that at the TAB before being backed into $26 as he won the Bill Ritchie Handicap.

But it was just the prelude for unbeaten Autumn Glow in the Tea Rose Stakes and long-time stable favourite Fangirl booming down the centre to outclass rivals in the 7Sport Stakes.

Autumn Glow, a $1.7 million Easter Sale topper from Silverdale Farm draft, is unbeaten in three starts in the Arrowfield Stud silks and beat the best fillies of the generation with ease in the Tea Rose Stakes.

The margin was only 1 lengths for $2.05 favourite from Snow In May ($14) with Sires Produce Stakes winner Manaal ($3.90) a nose back in third.

“Her best is yet to come,” Waller said. “She’s all class. We’re scared to ask too much at home, because she is so good. So we’re just taking her quietly. She’s improving with each run, being trained that way. We’ve got one race to go in the Flight Stakes this time. Next time she will be better.”

James McDonald rode the quaddie with Autumn Glow, Fangirl, I Am Me and Moravia.

“She’s very good. She’s just so economical in her action,” McDonald said of Autumn Glow. “She has all the class in the world, it will take her a long way.”

McDonald had sat outside the leader on Autumn Glow, but with Fangirl he had to trust what works with her, going back to last before steaming to victory.

Once again the margin was misleading as Fangirl ($1.75 fav) won by a half-length from My Oberon ($31), with Royal Patronage ($4.40) the same margin back in third.

“We’ve all come to realise that she’s one-dimensional, so we all know where she’s going to be,” McDonald said. “We put our heads together, and obviously we’re going to ride her to her strengths, which we’ve nailed down.

“The last prep when she came back, she won like Winx, so you start riding accordingly. She’s not Winx, so we have to come back a notch and ride her properly.

“She should have won the Winx Stakes, there’s no two ways about that, and that wasn’t her fault.

She was set too much of a task. The smaller field helped there but they went steady, she just had the right horse to follow in Royal Patronage and she did what she does.”

Waller reflected on the cut leg that threatened Fangirl’s career.

“I have watched her recover and it still amazes me with that turn of foot after what she went through,” Waller said.

I Am Me gets offer to slot in to Everest

Dynamic Syndications are weighing up an Everest slot offer after I Am Me added The Shorts to her Concorde Stakes victory in near identical fashion at Randwick.

I Am Me ($2.60 fav) saw off a late challenge from Stefi Magnetica ($9) to win by a long neck, with Mazu ($13) a half-length back.

″⁣We have an offer now and we think she should be there,″⁣ Dynamic Dean Watt said.

“She has won both the lead-ups to lead the Sprint series and two of Sydney’s best jockeys [Nash Rawiller and James McDonald] riding her and saying she deserves to be there. We want to give her that chance but we have to get the right deal.”

McDonald did as Rawiller had in the Concorde following a strong speed set by Way To The Stars on the fence before taking over at the 200m pole.

“She’s quality and she just wears a heart on her sleeve,” McDonald said. “She always felt in control of the race and even from a furlong from home, I felt like I was always going to win, even though they were so close.”

Five-star El Castello on Derby path

Thoroughbreds Anthony Cummings is dreaming of the Spring Champion Stakes-Victoria Derby double after El Castello continued an unbeaten preparation in the Midway Handicap at Randwick.

The Castelvecchio colt from the family of Victoria Derby winner Fiveandahalfstar took care of the older horses over a mile and is already looking for further. El Castello ($2.90 fav) eased to a half-length win from Extreme Freedom ($18), with Kervette ($14) a neck back in third.

“We will go to the Gloaming and Spring Champion Stakes with him, and he could get to the Derby like Fiveandahalfstar,” Cummings said.

Eliyass stays on course for big cups

Thoroughbreds French stayer Eliyass confirmed his place at the top of Metropolitan betting and continued his unbeaten Australian record with victory in the Kingston Town Stakes at Randwick.

Eliyass ($4) thwarted a big betting move for Australian Derby runner-up Ceolwulf ($2.80), holding him off by a long neck with Golden Path ($5) two lengths away.

“He felt the other horse come at him and toyed with him,” jockey Tim Clark said. “He is very good.”

Eliyass is a $4 favourite for the Metropolitan, where a rematch looms with Ceowulf, before heading to Melbourne for the Caulfield and Melbourne cups.

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