Chris Waller is anticipating that Fangirl and Lindermann will show more in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.
The pair finished 10th and 9th respectively in the Winx Stakes behind stablemate Autumn Glow. While Waller was content to excuse their performances in a race run at a solid clip, the seasoned trainer admitted that the end of the line may be near for the eight-year-old mare, Fangirl.
Fangirl, a four-time Group One winner, endured her largest defeat when she was beaten 7.4 lengths in the Winx Stakes.
“Fangirl, she’ll probably race and it’ll be a deciding run for her,” Waller stated.
“It was a strong run race and the backmarkers struggled to get into it.
“It’s a bit of a turning point for her, she owes us nothing, if she wants to race, she’ll race on but if she wants to be a mum then she’ll go be a mum.”
Lindermann, the winner of last year’s Chelmsford Stakes, was able to rebound from a 10th place finish in the Winx Stakes behind Via Sistina, and Waller is expecting a significant improvement from the seven-year-old gelding.
“Lindermann was just at his top throughout, Hughy (Bowman) said he was just out of his comfort zone there,” Waller remarked.
“I think what we found on Saturday if you weren’t rock hard fit, it was a tough race.
“And that showed the class of Autumn Glow and obviously Sheza Alibi, because it showed up Aeliana, it showed up Fangirl and it showed up Lindermann, they were a bit soft but that’s a good starting point for the preparation.”
Asterix, who was last seen winning the Group 3 Tattersall’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm, is also likely to be in the field. Waller suggested that the horse might be targeted towards a Caulfield Cup preparation in Melbourne after his Saturday run.
Lindermann is currently the second favourite for the Chelmsford Stakes, behind Ceolwulf, who finished fifth in the Winx Stakes and has received clearance to race after minor traces of blood were found in a nostril post-race.
With the Chelmsford Stakes on the horizon, punters are exploring online bookmakers to secure their bets.
