Declichy Boulevard made it five wins on the program for Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller after she finished powerfully to win the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m) at Royal Randwick today.
Waller might have been at Flemington but he seemed omnipresent at Randwick from the opener when his two-year-olds Exo Velocity and Tour De Force ran one-two in the Kirkham Plate.
The winners just kept coming for the Waller stable with Central Europe very impressive in the Group 3 $1 million Callander-Presnell (1600m) before Lindermann scored his third successive win in the Group 2 $750,000 Craven Plate (1800m).
Lazzura showed her to win the Group 2 $2 million The Invitation (1400m) before Declichy Boulevard capped a remarkable winning return for the Hall of Fame trainer.
At Flemington, Waller prepared Soverato to win the Group 3 $300,000 Tesio Stakes (1600m) and stablemates Birdman and Aeliana ran second and third in the Group 1 $6 million Cox Plate (2040m).
“All the hard work that they put in, Chris and the whole team, to have days like this, it is a day to remember, it is certainly a red letter day for the stable,” said Waller’s stable representative Darren Beadman.
Declichy Boulevard ($3.20) gave Waller his fifth Randwick winner for the day when she ran down Linebacker($3.10 favourite) to win by a long neck with Welcometotheshow ($6) one-and-a-half lengths away third.
Linebacker settled in a forward position and gained a split between runners at the top of the straight and established what seemed likely to be a winning lead only for Declichy Boulevard to unleash an irresistible late surge.
”With her pattern of racing, the race set up for her with a good speed up-front and a lot of pressure early,” Beadman said of Declichy Boulevard.
“She just sat back there, Tommy (Berry, jockey) was back there smoking his pipe, then got her into a three-wide line with cover and she chimed into it ‘lovely’.
“She has always been a quality mare but has had a few injuries along the way.
“The owners gave the time to get over it and they are reaping the rewards now.”
Star jockey Tommy Berry scored in successive big money races for Waller on Lazzura and Declichy Boulevard to complete a feature-race treble of his own after also winning on the Richard and Will Freedman-trained Revolina in the Listed $200,000 Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m).
Berry acknowledged stable jockey James McDonald for his advice on how best to ride Declichy Boulevard.
“I had a good chat with James (McDonald, jockey) during the week and he said just bank on her turn of foot,” Berry said.
“He said don’t ride her out of her comfort zone but she tested my patience there.
“She began so well and I had to give up what was a good start but I just knew I couldn’t be caught wide.
“They ran along early, pulled up in the middle stages but then I got a beautiful cart into the race on the back of Brave One.
“But she had to do a good job to pick up the second horse. Linebacker is a good tough campaigner and he’s a Group 1 winner.
“I don’t think it is going to be too long before you see her in the Group 1 circle, too.”
Declichy Boulevard is now expected to take her place in the Group 3 $2 million Five Diamonds (1800m) at Rosehill on November 7.
Beadman believes Declichy Boulevard has the form and fitness to stretch her brilliance to 1800m next start.
“The 1800m at Rosehill is like a mile at Randwick,” he said.
“So, especially being back at her home track it will work out perfectly for her.”
