Class galloper Sizzling – a relative newcomer to the Chris Waller camp – will step out on Saturday week en route to his ultimate goal during The Championships at Royal Randwick.
Waller has earmarked the $3million Group 1 The Star Doncaster Mile to be run at Royal Randwick on Saturday 12 April as the horse’s main target this campaign.
A former Queenslander, Sizzling had his initial start for Waller last Saturday, finishing an excellent third behind Appearance in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes over 1200m at Royal Randwick. The four-year-old finished full of running and has since pleased the Waller stable.
“We couldn’t have been much happier with his run,” said Waller’s racing manager, Liam Prior. “That was the first time he’d raced for us and he has gone along great since.
“He will run in the Apollo Stakes on Saturday week and then we’ll work out the options for him. The Doncaster Mile is definitely the race we have him aimed at.
“He was beaten less than two lengths by Boban in the Epsom last year so the mile at Randwick is going to be right up his alley.”
Sizzling was previously trained in Queensland by Kelso Wood who won six Stakes races with him including a Group One event, the TJ Smith Stakes at Eagle Farm.
“He came to us from Kelso in magnificent order so we had plenty of horse to work with,” Prior said. “Full credit has to go to Kelso for the way he prepared the horse.”
When asked whether a step up in distance could be on the agenda in regards to a start in the $4m Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000m on Day 2 of The Championships,
Prior replied: “We’ll just have to play that by ear.
“He has not run past 1600 metres and we still have to work out his ideal distance range. But he’s obviously a very smart galloper and we’re keeping an open mind. He’ll tell us more as his autumn campaign unfolds.”
– Australian Turf Club
