Prominent owner Ozzie Kheir declares a Melbourne Cup smokey from the Chris Waller stable

Prominent owner Ozzie Kheir says champion trainer Chris Waller could unveil his Melbourne Cup ‘smokey’ at Rosehill on Saturday.

Prominent Melbourne owner Ozzie Kheir says a locally-trained galloper, rather than an international runner, could be his Melbourne Cup ‘smokey’ in 2024.

Kheir has been a part-owner of two Melbourne Cup winners – Protectionist in 2014 and Verry Elleegant in 2021 – but shows no signs of easing off in his chase for another winner of Australia’s greatest race.

Kheir teamed up with Chris Waller in Verry Elleegant’s win and said the champion trainer could have an unheralded Melbourne Cup chance in 2024.

“We’ve got a bit of a smokey at Chris Waller’s in Valiant King,” Kheir said.

“He’ll kick off his program next Saturday and he could be one that could crop up.

“He could be one that could come out and measure up.”

The Ozzie Kheir-owned Valiant King could get under punters’ guards in the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Racing Photos

• Vauban rockets into equal-favouritism for Melbourne Cup after slashing St Leger second

Valiant King finished sixth in last year’s Caulfield Cup at his final outing for previous trainer Joseph O’Brien before missing the autumn carnivals.

The five-year-old is a $51 chance in TAB’s Melbourne Cup market, a price that could shorten depending on Valiant King’s first-up outing in Sydney on Saturday.

Waller entered the son of Roaring Lion to debut for the stable in either a 1600m contest or the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes at Rosehill.

Kheir has been a close observer of international form in his search for overseas candidates for Australia’s biggest races, an approach that has produced wins in the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.

He said he expected horses already in Australia to produce tough competition for the likes of Irish St Leger runner-up Vauban.

• Cox Plate, King Charles III ... or both? Pride Of Jenni’s next big targets

“If Vauban comes here and runs to his previous form, he might be a show, but I think it might be a lightly-weighted local this year,” Kheir said.

Kheir has only bought one horse to import for this year’s spring carniva – the lightly-raced Birdman, the winner of two of four starts in England and Ireland.

Birdman has entered quarantine in Ireland but Kheir said the four-year-old needed to improve on his last start sixth in a Listed race at Leopardstown in Ireland last month.

Kheir and partners could have a Caulfield Cup runner after Saint George tackles Saturday’s Group 3 Naturalism Stakes at Caulfield.

Champion mare Verry Elleegant won the 2021 Melbourne Cup for Ozzie Kheir and his fellow owners. Picture: Racing Photos

• Gilbert Gardiner’s Monday Racebook: New Caulfield Cup favourite emerges

The Naturalism Stakes offers a ballot exemption to the winner.

The Ciaron Maher-trained Saint George will be second-up in the Naturalism Stakes after a luckless run over 1700m at Caulfield at his first run for more than a year.

“Saint George, we bought him very early and we’ve had him for over a year but he had a setback,” Kheir said.

“He was meant to come over last year but we decided to hold off.

“He’s over that setback now and just needs to probably win the Naturalism (Stakes) to get into the Caulfield Cup.

“We’ve also got the local ones with Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Immediacy and Muramasa, that could improve.”

Originally published as Prominent owner Ozzie Kheir declares a Melbourne Cup smokey from the Chris Waller stable