Last season’s record-breaking Sydney trainer Chris Waller was at it again at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
He prepared the quinella in the feature race, the $100,000 Winter Challenge, with two horses that started their racing in different countries.
Coup Ay Tee just beat stablemate Bayrir, with the two of them hailing originally from New Zealand and France respectively.
Bayrir was having his first Australian start coming to this country with a Group 1 win in the USA and running midfield in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last year.
Punters charged into Bayrir on course, backing him from $3.70 into $3.10 favourite, and he looked the winner before Coup Ay Tee got a split near the rail and burst through to take the prize.
“The barrier draw has been the key and it’s good for that horse to get a Listed win,” Waller said after the win.
On Bayrir, Waller said he would only get better as the Spring progressed.
“He didn’t have that turn of foot with the big weight, but he’s a very talented horse and that turn of foot will come,” he said of the former French horse.
Waller said he would probably run Bayrir in the Premier’s Cup over 1800 metres (Rosehill Gardens, August 31) at his next start in a month’s time.
“That would be the logical next step with him, but we’ll just see how he eats and comes through the run,” he added.
– TVN
