Chris Waller Posts 100 Sydney Victories

Amicus has given Chris Waller his 100th Sydney metropolitan winner for the season, but he won’t be tempted to push the two-year-old past her limit.

The filly strolled home in the Hyland Race Colours Plate at Randwick on Wednesday to score a 5-1/2 length win.

But while she’s paid up for the Golden Slipper, Waller quelled talk of a start and said his plans for the filly stretched past April 5.

“(I’m) looking towards a spring three-year-old filly,” he said.

“Whatever she does next start is a bonus.”

The temptation to push promising juveniles for the sake of a high-profile win could be dangerous, he said.

“Everyone dreams of a Slipper, but the problem is afterwards when you haven’t made it and you’ve ruined your horse,” he said.

Instead of the Slipper, Amicus’ next run would most likely be the $500,000 Royal Randwick Stakes on April 12.

Street Sense filly Eleivue finished second, following on from the debut win in the first race by Hallowed Crown, who shares the same sire.

Trainer James Cummings said Hallowed Crown had proven naysayers wrong.

“He’s not by the most fashionable sire and a lot of people roll their eyes when you say he might have ability,” he said.

“But he’s produced it on game day.”

He said debut performances were often a watermark for the quality of a stable, and his runner had delivered.

But for winning jockey Christian Reith, his thoughts were with fellow rider Nathan Berry.

Berry has been diagnosed with NORSE syndrome, a condition that causes severe seizures, and is in an induced coma in a Singapore hospital.

“If I had to give back all my winners just to get Nath out of bed, I would,” he said.

Hallowed Crown’s next run is likely to be the Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on April 12.

The colt started at $12 and beat favourite Country Warrior, who finished runner-up for the third time in as many starts.

– AAP

 

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