CHAMPION trainer Chris Waller has urged Racing Queensland to inject more prizemoney into the Hollindale Stakes in a bid to try to secure Group 1 status for the Gold Coast weight-for-age feature.
Waller, who won the Hollindale in 2010 (Metal Bender) and 2011 (My Kingdom Of Fife), has five runners in the race on Saturday, headed by early favourite Comin’ Through and cult hero Tom Melbourne.
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Waller feels the changes in the programming of the Sydney autumn present RQ with a chance to capitalise.
“It’s probably a race if Queensland continues to boost, they will get it up to Group 1 at some stage, because there’s certainly been no shortage of good horses win it,” Waller said.
“If you put another $ 150,000 on top you’d have a Group 1 race in no time.
“It’s a race Queensland should be targeting as a follow on from the Doncaster and the Queen Elizabeth. Even the Queen of the Turf, enticing the milers out to 1800m.”
Waller said the huge boost to the prizemoney of Sydney’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes should be seen as an opportunity rather than a negative for the Queensland carnival.
“The Queen Elizabeth (trainers) are strategically planning to have their horses running at their third or fourth run,” he said. “That leaves a bit left in the tank, whereas it used to be a $ 500,000 race and it was their fifth and sixth runs and they were pretty tired by the time they got to it.”
Waller has a powerful hand in the $ 358,000 Hollindale and rates Comin’ Through as the best of his five runners, slightly in front of Tom Melbourne.
“Comin’ Through was very good in the Doncaster where he raced three wide and he backed it up with a good run seven days later behind arguably the four best weight-for-age horses in the country in Gailo Chop, Happy Clapper, Humidor and Winx,” he said. “There’s no better form.
“I think three weeks between runs, coming back to 1800m is just the perfect race for him.
“Tom Melbourne was very unlucky from his wide gate in the Doncaster and he got run off his feet in track record time in the All Aged Stakes.
“I wouldn’t be too concerned about that. I look back to his Doncaster form and 1800m from a soft draw with Corey Brown aboard he will be a close second.”
Waller has also given a strong push for two-year-old Lean Mean Machine in the Ken Russell Memorial.
“He’s a really good horse and the perfect horse for Queensland,” Waller said. “I wouldn’t have a problem sitting three wide just behind the speed. He’s better than average, so it will take a good one to beat him.”
WALLER’S OTHER HOLLINDALE RUNNERS …
EGG TART: “She has gone missing a little bit, but finally stepping up to a more suitable distance is what she’s calling out for. She’s got a soft draw, which has been against her in a lot of her runs. She’s got the quality to return to Group 1 form and we’re just hoping to see that on Saturday because she’s clearly a Group 1 horse.”
SATONO RASEN: “Stepping up 400m he will be a big improver and you always respect Japanese form. Again, run off his feet in track record time in the All Aged Stakes.”
ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN: “If it was a soft track, he would come right into contention, but I do think he would need that to show his best. He didn’t go too bad first up, but he did blow out and I would love to see him over 2000m in the Doomben Cup on a soft track.”
