Kermadec and Preferment have played a part in trainer Chris Waller’s best ever Group One season and are on the way to kicking off the next one.
Waller has taken home 14 Group One trophies in 2014/15 with Kermadec winning the Doncaster Mile and Preferment the Victoria Derby.
Kermadec
Both are scheduled to run in a 900m barrier trial at Rosehill on Tuesday with Waller hoping they can carry on as four-year-olds.
“Kermadec will be put on a path similar to Boban a couple of years ago,” Waller said.
“The George Main Stakes, the Epsom Handicap and the Emirates Stakes are all over the mile (1600m) which suits him.
“And the Epsom is now worth $1 million which makes it attractive.
“He will have a quiet trial on Tuesday at Rosehill just to see where we are at with him.”
In the spring of 2013, Boban was undefeated in five starts with his wins highlighted by the Epsom and the Emirates Stakes at Flemington.
The following autumn he won the Chipping Norton Stakes, also over 1600m, but failed to win another race until the Group One Doomben 10,000 in May this year.
Kermadec has won two races over the 1600m, the Carbine Club Stakes in November last year and the Doncaster in the autumn.
He was unlucky in the Australian Guineas won by Wandjina in March and ran third to Japanese horse Real Impact in the weight-for-age George Ryder Stakes before beating him in the Doncaster.
Preferment’s only win so far was in the Victoria Derby but he came within a short head of New Zealander Volkstok’n’barrell in the Rosehill Guineas.
His bid for the Australian Derby ended in disappointment when he failed to handle the soft track at Randwick in March.
Preferment will be set for the major distance races in the spring.
