Tougher Than Ever On Comeback Trail

Tougher Than Ever joined Chris Waller’s stable at the same time as Sacred Falls but the two horses paths have been very different.

Sacred Falls has gone on to win two Doncaster Miles while Tougher Than Ever has returned from a failed Singapore experiment and will line up in an open handicap at Rosehill on Saturday.

Known as Warhorse in his younger days, Tougher Than Ever finished a close third in the 2012 New Zealand 2000 Guineas won by Sacred Falls.

He had two weight-for-age starts for Waller as an autumn three-year-old, running fourth in the Expressway Stakes and second in the Apollo Stakes, both at Group Two level before finishing out of the money against his own age in the Randwick Guineas.

He showed little of his previous spark in two starts in Singapore in August and September and returned to Sydney.

He ran an even race when midfield over 1100m at Hawkesbury on May 3 and steps up to 1400m this weekend.

“He did not acclimatise in Singapore so hopefully we can get him back into form here,” Waller said.

“The first priority is to get him to win a race.”

Sacred Falls meanwhile returned to work in New Zealand on Monday after Waikato Stud and Raffles Racing decided to defer his stud career for another year with the Cox Plate a target.

Waller stablemates account for nine of the 15 entries taken on Monday for the Octagonal Handicap as the premier trainer powers to his fourth Sydney training championship.

Fellow Rosehill trainer Gerald Ryan has one of his favourites entered for the meeting with Ironstein to run in the Eremein Handicap (1800m) on his way to a possible start in the Grafton Cup.

Now an eight-year-old, the multiple stakes winner is a million dollar earner and has had two starts in his latest campaign, finishing midfield on both occasions.

– AAP

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