A bold first-up effort from Stormy Marco anchored Chris Waller’s stable trifecta, with short-priced favourite Tenenbaum failing to fire in Saturday’s Clarendon Stakes (1400m) at Hawkesbury.
The juvenile contest kicks off proceedings at the Hawkesbury standalone meet and Waller typically uses it to prime his rising two-year-olds for Brisbane’s winter carnival targets.
Stormy Marco and Nations League look headed that way after contesting the close finish.
As the $21 outsider in Waller’s three-horse team, Stormy Marco rallied gamely under Sam Clipperton to edge Nations League ($7.50) by half a length, with Fondness ($8.50) third, two lengths away.
The market leader Tenenbaum at $1.22 travelled sweetly before stopping quickly to run a disappointing fourth ahead of just Grafology.
Absent from Hawkesbury, Waller’s deputy Charlie Duckworth confirmed Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) aspirations for Stormy Marco and Nations League at Eagle Farm soon.
“Stormy Marco was in the trials on Monday but when this race fell away and became a field of five, we felt he should be running,” Duckworth said.
“He’s by Wootton Bassett, a sire who is flying at the moment, and we felt the colt trialled well enough and had the education to go to the races.
“The 1400m was a better option for him than going to Gosford next week (1200m).
“As it turned out, he did everything right today and was strong late.
Clipperton rode a restrained covering role and lauded the debut winner Stormy Marco.
“He’s a quiet-natured horse and will only improve off that,” Clipperton said. “He has kicked off his career in good style today.”
Duckworth praised the efforts of Nations League and Fondness too.
“Nations League had to dig deep and was strong to the line but he might have been beaten by a good one,” he said.
“Fondness did well jumping from 1100m to 1400m which is never easy.”
Waller removed colt The Roaring Sun from the Clarendon lineup on raceday, but Duckworth anticipates an outing at Gosford standalone or Ken Russell Memorial Classic at Gold Coast next Saturday.
Unbeaten stable riser St Gotthard trialled Canterbury last Friday and could surface at Gosford or Gold Coast next.
Latest TAB Fixed Odds on the Group 1 $1 million JJ Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm June 13 show The Roaring Sun at $7 second fave, St Gotthard $11, Nations League $26, with Blind Raise $4.50 top from Melbourne.
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