Waller Sending Raiders South to Try Flemington Straight G1 Racing
We often wish we were Chris Waller, at some time more than others.
It would have been nice to be Waller when we ruled out a visit to Royal Ascot by Winx. We would enjoy being him when we fielded half the field for a Group 1 race at Randwick or Rosehill.
That is right. We would like to be Waller for all the good times and leave Waller to do all the hard, behind the scenes work and deal with the pressure of being the top trainer.
Our latest excuse for envy came when we learned that Waller would send his star sprinters to Flemington for the Group 1 Lightning Stakes on February 15.
Waller is sending Yes Yes Yes and Nature Strip, both returning from spells and excepting perhaps a trial or two, first up for autumn racing.
The 1000-metre w.f.a. sprint is held on the Flemington straight, making it a pure sprint in the truest sense.
The race is the first leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, an eight-race series that as the world global implies, includes races in Australia, the other being the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic, along with races in Dubai, Japan, Hong Kong and England.
Unlike Sydney races, Waller had just Lean Mean Machine in last year’s Lightning Stakes. Lean mean Machine ran seventh, not a position Waller finds himself in often.
Along with top horses, Waller will be employing Glen Boss to take the trip on Yes Yes Yes, with James McDonald booked for duty on Nature Strip.
“I have no doubt (Nature Strip) is going to prove very tough opposition for Yes Yes Yes in the Lightning and both horses will certainly be tested by the great depth we have in the Australian sprint ranks at the moment,” Waller said.
Waller mentioned that since winning The Everest October past, Yes Yes Yes has been lounging in the loafing shed and that he would run a trial on February 7 in order to get more acclimation to straight racing.
Unlike Winx, Nature Strip is targeted to make an appearance at Royal Ascot.