Champion trainer Chris Waller is looking to cap off his spring racing season with a significant Group 1 victory at Sandown this weekend, despite the challenging timing after Melbourne Cup Week.
The Sandown program is highlighted by the $1 million CF Orr Stakes, the last Group 1 race of the Melbourne spring carnival. The day also features the Group 2 Zipping Classic ($750,000), the Sandown Guineas, and the $1 million Thoroughbred Club Stakes.
Waller has confirmed runners in each of these major races, including Beiwacht and Angel Capital for the Orr Stakes. He acknowledges the rigours of keeping horses in top form until mid-November but understands the commercial and public relations benefits of participating at this stage of the season.
“I’m not a huge fan from a training perspective, because you want to give them a break before the autumn,” Waller commented regarding the Orr Stakes’ placement. “But I see it’s also a wagering industry, which is what funds prizemoney, and how important it is for the public to see these horses racing again. It’s pretty clever and I guess that’s the beauty of competition. You see what New South Wales are doing and that’s exactly what Victoria is following with, these better races. It’s exciting to have these good horses racing at the end of the spring.”
Angel Capital, who has had four starts this spring, began its campaign with a third-place finish in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) on August 8. The colt then contested the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) on August 29, a race won by Beiwacht.
Beiwacht has achieved three Group 1 victories at the 1400-metre distance, while Angel Capital recorded its long-awaited first Group 1 win in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, also over 1400 metres, later in the spring. Waller explained that their proven effectiveness at this trip was the reason for keeping them in training.
“They’re both 1400-metre specialists and both entires and it’s an important race for both of them,” Waller said. “When you think of what are they going to be running in in the autumn, you’d probably have to look at the Newmarket, Futurity, those types of races, the George Ryder and maybe the Canterbury Stakes. They’re the four races, so when it’s their speciality distance, you give it serious consideration to these races.”
A victory for either Beiwacht, with James McDonald aboard, or Angel Capital, to be ridden by Ben Melham, would mark Chris Waller’s 28th Group 1 win for the year, equalling Aidan O’Brien’s record for Group 1 victories in a calendar year.
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