Randwick races: Verry Elleegant wins Winx Stakes; Chris Waller eyes Cox Plate, Melbourne Cup with mare
Chris Waller didn’t need Winx to dominate the race named in her honour at Royal Randwick and he may have unearthed his next Cox Plate contender in the process.
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Chris Waller didn’t need all-time great Winx to dominate the race named in her honour at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Sydney’s premier trainer prepared the first, second and fourth placegetters with Verry Elleegant claiming the first Group 1 race of the new season, the $500,000 Winx Stakes (1400m).
Waller prepared the 112th major race winner of his stellar training with his sixth success in the Winx (formerly Warwick) Stakes in a decade when Verry Elleegant fought back after being headed by stablemate Star Of The Seas to score narrowly in a memorable finish.
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Winx launched three of her successful Cox Plate campaigns with wins in the Randwick 1400m race in 2016-17-18 and Waller may follow a similar race path with Verry Elleegant this spring.
“I think we have the right horse for the Melbourne Cup but if the weights ‘kill’ us we will go to the Cox Plate,’’ Waller said.
“She will go to the George Main Stakes next, a month between runs would be my preference. It was good to see her come back in the spring as the autumn has always looked better for her.
Verry Elleegant wins a thrilling Group 1 Winx Stakes! Another ripping ride from @mcacajamez and only fitting @cwallerracing takes it home again. pic.twitter.com/p6XfdMh4b1
— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 22, 2020
“But this horse has come back very well, obviously you’ve seen that today. She did a lot of work through the run and was still strong late. She is a good horse, simple as that.’’
Verry Elleegant ($7.50) defied logic to win the Winx Stakes. The early tempo was frenetic, she was the widest runner from the 600m and exposed to the howling winds, then was headed by Star Of The Seas ($31) in the straight only to fight back and win by a nose.
There was only a half-length separating the first four over the line with Fierce Impact ($15) overcoming a slow start to finish fast near the inside for third, just in front of a very unlucky Imaging who had to change direction repeatedly in the straight as he angled for a clear run.
Con Te Partiro was heavily backed into $6 equal favouritism and her effort to run fifth was very good while Master Of Wine ($6) didn’t run on as well as expected and ran only 12th.
Champion jockey James McDonald rode his 35th career Group 1 winner on Verry Elleegant and later described the winner as “the toughest mare I’ve ridden.’’
“When Chris has ideas of a Melbourne Cup with Verry Elleegant, it’s pretty scary to see her winning first-up at 1400m,’’ McDonald said. “But this mare is an absolute star. She has progressed so much in the last six months it is just incredible.
“The race didn’t all work out well for us. I got in early, I just didn’t want to be in, that’s just not her style. She’s a flowing galloper so when Kolding went forward, he was wide so I just tacked on.
“I wanted to keep her momentum going, she just does it herself. Her forte is her long, sustained sprint and it wasn’t stopping today. It got stronger as the race went on.”
McDonald said Star Of The Seas definitely sprinted past Verry Elleegant inside the final 200m but the mare wasn’t about to concede defeat.
“He went past me, no doubt about it, but he didn’t put enough on me without me asking her for her full effort,’’ McDonald said. “When I did give her a reminder she just said, ‘here I am, let’s go’.”
Verry Elleegant scored her fourth Group 1 win and her ninth overall from 21 starts, taking her prizemoney to nearly $3.5 million and Waller believes the mare, now fully mature as a five-year-old, could be in for her best-ever season.
“She hasn’t changed her physique but mentally she is coping so much better with her racing,’’ Waller said.
“She puts so much into her races and I think that might have disadvantaged her a bit in the early days. She would show a bit of stress and negative body language but now she has the confidence in herself and it is showing in her racing.
“How do we get her to win every start this preparation? I don’t know but I want to get her to win the grand finals as well, whether that’s a Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup, they’ve got a good ring to them.’’
Waller admitted he thought Star Of The Seas was going to win the race but “Verry Elleegant stole the show as Winx did with Foxplay (2017).’’
“I would love to have Star Of The Seas in the right race with the right draw, there’s a good race in him,’’ Waller said.
“Imaging went terrific, a great trial towards an Epsom-type plan. Bossy (Glen Boss) said Kolding (13th) didn’t tow him into the race like he would have hoped but I just said, ‘Bossy stick with me and we will try to get him right’.”
Racing NSW stewards questioned Tommy Berry about the run of Master Of Wine after the race with the jockey maintaining the gelding’s run was better than it looked.
“I’m satisfied because he’ll probably step up in distance quick,’’ Berry told stewards.
“Second-up last preparation he went to 2000m from 1400m and that’s what he felt like he needed today. He feels like he’s looking for it, he’s much more relaxed now.
“Last preparation he was a fierce going horse, you would have seen him sweating up in the mounting yard and he’d jump and he was hard on the bridle and that’s probably why he was competitive at 1400m.
“But now he’s so much more switched off, it probably worked against him today but I think in the future it’s going to benefit.’’
ROHERYN SHOWS WHO’S BOSS
Godolphin’s Roheryn produced a career-best effort, Probabeel ran a blinder and Funstar was doing her best work on the line.
This summed up a thrilling finish to the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday, with less than a half-length separating the placegetters led home by Roheryn.
Trainer James Cummings said Roheryn’s last-start second to subsequent Missile Stakes winner Eduardo had given the stable confidence to test the sprinter at stakes level.
“Roheryn has excellent form, the Eduardo form is as good as it gets so far this season,’’ Cummings said. “This horse is loaded with ability. He hasn’t always kept delivering through a preparation but this time he has.
Roheryn gets the money for @godolphin in a thrilling edition of the Group 3 Mostyn Copper Show Country Quality! pic.twitter.com/ciiFKaFRrH
— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 22, 2020
“Roheryn had to make a big leap and he did that (today). It was a good win and I think we can be pretty impressed with the horse.’’
Collett made full use of $4.60 chance Roheryn’s light weight (53kg), riding the sprinter closer to the speed than usual before holding off the late surge of Probabeel ($19) to win by a long head, with Special Reward ($4.20) a nose away third.
Funstar started $3.10 favourite and after settling at the back of the field she ran on without ever really threatening, closing late to run sixth, beaten just under two lengths.
Cummings admitted he is unsure of Roheryn’s immediate race program but indicated he is likely to keep the gelding to sprinting distances.
“I don’t want to peg him down but I appreciate we have managed to get him going really well training him as a 1100m-1200m horse so I don’t think there is any need to steer away from that this spring,’’ Cummings said.
Funstar is likely to have her next run in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on September 12 after pleasing trainer Chris Waller.
“I thought her run was good,’’ Waller said.
“We went back from the draw as James (McDonald) thought he was going to be caught wide. They went steady though the middle of the race and sprinted home.
“James said she was a bit flat-footed when they sprinted but the last 100m was good.’’
Roheryn’s win came soon after another promising Godolphin sprinter Tailleur romped home by six lengths at Moonee Valley.
“Tailleur was brilliant,’’ Cummings said.