Chris Waller double trouble at Sydney Saturday race days despite Catkins flop

CATKINS ran below her best but trainer Chris Waller was still able to maintain his phenomenal Sydney Saturday winning streak at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Jockey Sam Clipperton riding Peeping(centre), wins the Ronald McDonald House Westmead Golden Pendant race during the Golden Pendant Day at Rosehill race course in Sydney. Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (AAP Image/David Moir) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

CATKINS ran below her best but trainer Chris Waller was still able to maintain his phenomenal Sydney Saturday winning streak this season at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Press Statement and Vanbrugh gave Waller a winning double meaning the trainer has now prepared at least two winners at every Sydney Saturday race day since the start of 2015-16 — that is nine weeks in succession!

Racing NSW stewards did ask questions about the run of Catkins, the $1.75 favourite who struggled when fifth to Peeping in the Golden Pendant.

Although there was no obvious explanation for the flop, perhaps Catkins was flattened by her comeback win in the Sheraco Stakes two weeks earlier. Also, although everything is much easier in hindsight, Catkins has now had 10 starts at 1400m for one win and she has lost more times than she has won (eight starts, three wins) when second-up from a spell.

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JUST how good is Amelie’s Star?

She has had a meteoric rise through the ranks from maiden to Group 3 winner by reeling off four successive wins by big margins.

Jockey Joshua Parr on Amelie's Star after winning the Dilmah Tea Colin Stephen Quality race.

Amelie’s Star thrashed some seasoned stayers in the Colin Stephen Quality, recording a very fast 34.44s for her final 600m sectional. Only the sprinters Peeping (34.28s, Theo Marks Stakes) and Vashka (34.32s) ran faster closing sectionals than Amelie’s Star at the Rosehill meeting.

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HOW extraordinary that the two jockeys who have ridden the most winners in Australian racing history are competing in the same era.

Robert Thompson, 57, has earned Hall of Fame honours for his remarkable career that includes more than 4100 winners — and still counting.

His contemporary Greg Ryan, recently passed the former riding record of 3322 held by the late Jack Thompson (no relation), to move into second on the highest list for most wins.

Ryan rides mainly on the NSW country tracks but he is always competitive when he rides in the metropolitan area as he showed with his win on Alart in the Listed Reginald Allen Quality at Rosehill.

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But Ryan downplayed his achievements while marvelling at Jack Thompson’s record when I spoke with him after Alart’s win.

“Jack’s record is amazing because he would have ridden two, maybe three times a week but we can ride every day if we want to,’’ Ryan said.

Ryan, 49, revealed he has no plans to retire from riding and was back riding at a minor bush meeting at Wellington yesterday.

Alart winning the Reginald Allen Quality race during the Golden Pendant Day.

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TWO Blue must be the unluckiest race mare in training.

Her narrow loss to Peeping in the Group 2 Golden Pendant was her fifth second placing in her last six starts, all at Group or Listed level.

Two Blue has been beaten less than a length in each of those five races, her combined losing margin just 2.4 lengths.

Trainer Kristen Buchanan, who has done a wonderful job keeping Two Blue in good form through an extended race campaign, said her stable star has earned a spell and will return in autumn trying to secure that elusive stakes wins.

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THE jury is out on Contributer after his second unplaced run in a many starts this spring in the Underwood Stakes.

Mourinho, Fawkner and The Cleaner fought out a thrilling to the Underwood Stakes with the runner-up proving he is right on target for the Cox Plate.

The runs of Mongolian Khan (fourth) and Volkstok’n’barrell (fifth) showed both are going to be hard to beat in the Caulfield Cup.

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WHERE are Sydney’s racing fans?

Rosehill Gardens had only 7398 for Ladies Day last Saturday, continuing a disappointing trend so far this spring carnival.

But given the grandstand renovations currently being undertaken at Rosehill, it is probably a good thing there weren’t too many more punters at the track.

Horses during early morning trackwork at Royal Randwick. Pic: Mark Evans

But the Australian Turf Club will be hoping for a 20,000-plus crowd for Epsom Handicap meeting at Royal Randwick this Saturday.

Sydney’s premier race meeting of the spring boasts three Group 1 races, Epsom, The Metropolitan and Flight Stakes, plus seven other stakes races including the first metropolitan two-year-old races of the new season, the Breeders Plate and Gimcrack Stakes so the action on track is superb.

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PUNTERS with an NRL Grand Final ticket will be afforded free entry to Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The ATC will also cater for AFL fans with Saturday’s Grand Final between Hawthorn and West Coast Eagles being shown on television screens throughout the Randwick racecourse.

Originally published as Chris Waller double trouble at Sydney Saturday race days despite Catkins flop