Although Chris Waller faces a busy schedule at Royal Ascot with Joliestar’s imminent start, his focus also extends to his promising contenders domestically.
A notable chance for the stable is Hello Captain, scheduled to compete in the Kia Ora Bloodlines to Headlines Handicap (1300m) at Randwick.
The gelding, now with Nash Rawiller in the saddle, has attracted strong support from the betting public, holding favouritism at even money.
“Hello Captain has returned in great shape,” Waller remarked from England.
“He has found really good form, he has won his last three starts and is full of confidence.”
The Hello Youmzain colt, acquired by Waller and bloodstock specialist Guy Mulcaster for around AU$520,000 at the Karaka Sales in New Zealand, has recorded three wins from four starts, with his other performance a second placing at Doomben in December.
“He’s a typical New Zealand-bred horse, he has just taken time to mature,” Waller elaborated.
“But James (McDonald, jockey) rode him a couple of starts ago and gave him a good report.
“He’s trained on well since and kept his form. This is a bit trickier with a bit of weight (60.5-kilos) but if he was to win again Saturday we might back off and then have a look at the spring.”
In the follow-up race, a benchmark 78 event over 1800m, Waller also has the mare Nasebah prepared to start at a similarly short price.
The four-year-old finished with a flourish for fourth place on June 6, after dropping back in distance to the Randwick mile.
“This horse was very unlucky last start but she will be very hard to beat on Saturday,” Waller concluded. Visit betting sites for the latest odds.