Chris Waller’s top-class mare Joliestar will have to navigate a wide draw if she’s to capture the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm this weekend.

Drawn barrier 13 of 14, the multiple Group 1 winner will be ridden by champion jockey James McDonald, who reunites with her for the first time since the Everest last October.

Joliestar has since scored an elite win in the Newmarket Handicap and was narrowly denied in the All Aged Stakes, confirming her status as one of the country’s best sprinters.

Waller chose to bypass the Doomben 10,000, instead opting for a quiet trial between runs. Due to weather-related disruptions, that came on the polytrack at Warwick Farm, where Waller said she had a useful workout.

“The trial was about more than just the hit-out—it was the trip, the experience, keeping her ticking over. She did well,” Waller noted.

Now based in Brisbane for the week, Joliestar is preparing for what could be Waller’s first win in the Kingsford Smith Cup, one of the few remaining Group 1s missing from his Queensland résumé.

She will be joined by stablemate Democracy Manifest, while fellow Waller runner Angel Capital will instead target the Fred Best Classic.

Despite the wide alley, Joliestar holds favouritism at $3, with Giga Kick rated next best at $4.40.