Chris Waller’s stable stars Via Sistina and Fangirl will contest separate races for the first time March 22, with Via Sistina set to defend her title in the Ranvet Stakes (G1) and Fangirl heading to the George Ryder Stakes (G1).
“They had a gallop morning (March 15) just to stretch their legs, their regular riders were aboard and said they’d come through their last starts really well and gone forward,” Waller said. “They will separate for the first time this preparation, which is good, as well as taking on other horses. The 2,000 meters suits Via a little bit better and I think the 1,500 meters suits Fangirl better.”
Via Sistina is favored in the Ranvet, coming in off a victory over her stablemate in the March 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (G1), but will face a new challenge from a recent addition to the Waller stable: Full Count Felicia .
Formerly owned by Gold Square, Full Count Felicia gained North American fame with a loose-on-the-lead victory in the 2024 E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine last fall over subsequent Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) winner and Eclipse champion turf female Moira . Following a seventh-place finish in that Breeders’ Cup event for trainer Kevin Attard, Full Count Felicia was offered at Fasig-Tipton’s The November Sale, where she was purchased by Willingham Stud for $1 million from the Greenfield Farms consignment.
Unraced since the Breeders’ Cup, the War Front mare is entered in the 2,000-meter (approx. 1 1/4-mile) Ranvet for owner Yulong Investments, who also own Via Sistina, in what will be her first start outside North America.
Waller Holds Strong Hand in George Ryder
One year on from a life-threatening leg injury ruling her out of the race, the ever-resilient Fangirl will aim to add another group 1 to her CV in the George Ryder Stakes Saturday. A year later, she is back to her best, downing stablemate Via Sistina first-up in the Apollo Stakes (G2), then finishing closely behind the mare in the Verry Elleegant Stakes at Randwick.
“Fangirl has touched our hearts, she missed the race last year because of injury and she was in a bad way, so it’s great to have her back racing well and winning,” Waller told Racing NSW. “She was favorite in the race when the problem happened last year; she’s a pretty special horse to us. The Apollo Stakes was a special win and she pushed Via Sistina last start. And I think both horses needed it.
“I’ll be interested to see how Fangirl runs because I think it’s her pet distance,” he said. “She ran in it two years ago and wasn’t beaten far by Anamoe and not everything went her way. She’s a bigger, stronger version of that, so I think she’s ready to peak.”
Among Waller’s seven entries for the George Ryder Stakes are Buckaroo and Kovalica, who are both having their first run since last year’s Melbourne Cup (G1), and worked together between races at the March 13 Randwick-Kensington meeting.
“Buckaroo is really good, I’ve been amazed how many people ask questions about him, he’s become quite a popular horse,” Waller said. “He’s very competitive when he races and his spring was amazing. He has come back really well. We chose to give him a longer spell after the Melbourne Cup, which I think they need. He runs in the George Ryder, Queen Elizabeth, and we could have a look at the Hollindale or Doomben Cup if we needed to. Similar for Kovalica. He probably doesn’t have the same brilliance as Buckaroo so he could even go on towards a Q22. He will definitely start in the first two races.”
Broadsiding Looks to Bounce Back in Rosehill Guineas
Star colt Broadsiding will look to bounce back in the Rosehill Guineas (G1) after he was narrowly beaten as the favorite in the Randwick Guineas (G1) last time out.
“While he lost the race on the day, I thought he ran very well and one thing that fast pace has been able to do is it has been able to bring that horse right on,” trainer James Cummings said. “He has been absolutely humming, Broadsiding, since that Randwick Guineas … he should be perfectly fit for 10 furlongs now.”
Cummings also said he is keen to see the colt step out to 2,000 meters, having been beaten by Via Sistina and Japanese raider Prognosis at his only start at the distance.
“He did run very quick time in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October despite getting beaten 10 lengths by Via Sistina, who was just airborne that day,” Cummings said. “It took two very good, world-class horses to beat him home. We’re not shying away from 2,000 meters in March against his own age. I suspect that he gets his opportunity to demonstrate some of his class at 2,000 meters and it’s a great test of class, that distance, so the set-up was of great appeal to us.”
Broadsiding will jump from barrier 9 with James McDonald on board.
November’s Victoria Derby (G1) winner Goldrush Guru will tackle Saturday’s Rosehill Guineas after impressing with a last-start third in the Australian Guineas (G1), where the American Pharoah colt came home strongly late in the contest. The colt’s trainer Andrew Gluyas is expecting the step back up in distance to suit the youngster perfectly.
“I was quite happy with the way he came through the (Australian) Guineas,” Gluyas told Racing.com. “We’ve got him up to Rosehill and he’s settled in quite well. His work going the other way has been quite composed and coordinated, so that excites us for Saturday. We gave him our best effort (for him) to run into that mile, the Guineas was what we prepared him for and I think he raced quite well. But that was really done knowing that he would be a 10-furlong-plus horse.”
Goldrush Guru, by American Pharoah, wins the 2024 Victoria Derby at Flemington Racecourse
Private Harry Hopes to remain unbeaten in Galaxy
Having had Harlem Queen run second to Lady Shenandoah in the Flight Stakes (G1) last year, trainer Nathan Doyle is hoping his second group 1 runner can be a winning one when Private Harry tackles Saturday’s Galaxy (G1) at Rosehill. The 3-year-old colt is unbeaten in a quartet of starts to date, including for a last-start win in the Magic Millions Sunlight Plate where he ran out a dominant 2 1/2-length winner over the 2024 Golden Slipper (G1) heroine Lady Of Camelot.
“That’s what you train horses for, to get these horses, so we have to take it in our stride and change nothing,” Doyle told Racing NSW. “He’s done nothing wrong to date. This is his biggest step taking on the older horses but he deserves his opportunity. He’s done it all on his first racing prep, that’s the exciting part. He’s started to come back to us and relax and he’s got better throughout the preparation, so I think the best is yet to come with him. He’s still untapped and hopefully we see the best of him on Saturday.”
Growing Empire is set to return to Sydney for the first time since placing in the Everest (G1) in October when he lines up in the Galaxy. The Ciaron Maher stable believes the colt will be better suited back around a bend for the first time this preparation, after failing to place at both starts down the Flemington straight.
“His first run was a forget run. It was very windy that day and the race didn’t really work out for him. He did a couple of things wrong, there was a lot to look at that day,” assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord said. “He was better second-up (in the Newmarket Handicap), but I think he will be better around a bend. He gets back to a bend this week and the horse is fit and going well.”
Growing Empire will jump from barrier 7 with James McDonald on board for the first time.
She’s Bulletproof Aims for Breakthrough in William Reid
Ahead of a seemingly open renewal of the William Reid Stakes (G1) at Moonee Valley March 22, emerging trainer Charlotte Littlefield is growing in belief that ultra-consistent mare She’s Bulletproof can deliver her first victory on racing’s grandest stage. With 19 wins this campaign from her 98 runners, which fires at a remarkable place rate of 48%, Littlefield is enjoying comfortably her best season since she was first persuaded by her husband Julian Hay—who bred She’s Bulletproof out of his mare Offshore Sham—to take out her trainer’s license in 2015.
After coming agonizingly close to breaking through the elite glass ceiling in the Oakleigh Plate (G1), Littlefield is now hoping the stars will align for She’s Bulletproof at the Valley this weekend, an occasionally quirky venue which holds no fears for the 5-year-old mare who finished second there on debut and subsequently romped to victory by some six lengths last October.
In contrast, Oakleigh Plate victor Jimmysstar has never been tested at the idiosyncratic track under race conditions, so despite drawing barrier 8 of nine Littlefield is quietly confident that her stable star can turn the tables on the prerace favorite—particularly with regular rider Craig Williams maintaining their potent partnership.
“There are lots of positive affirmations heading into the race, and hopefully it stays that way on the big day,” Littlefield said. “We know she handles the Valley beautifully, whereas I think it’s Jimmysstar’s first start there so it’s a bit of an unknown for him.”
Jimmysstar wins the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield Racecourse
She’s Bulletproof loomed large under Williams in the Oakleigh Plate and for all the world the pair looked the winners at the 200-meter mark, only to be denied by a suitably stellar performance from Jimmysstar.
“The Oakleigh Plate was an incredible experience, but there were obviously mixed emotions after we thought we had the race in our keeping,” she said.
“But once the dust settled, the overriding emotion was one of pride in the performance. She’s a homebred horse, and much like me she’s come from nowhere really. I think we’re probably both as dumbfounded as one another at how it’s all played out, but we’re both certainly enjoying the journey.”
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