Gold Coast based trainer Paul Shailer has visited the winner’s enclosure frequently in recent times. Six out of his last fifteen runners have saluted bringing the stable’s strike-rate since September 21 up to a very impressive forty-percent.
Of those six winners, two runners – the three-year-old Savabeel gelding Contingency and the five-year-old Puissance De Lune gelding Punjabi Landing – both won twice, each putting back-to-back wins together. Contingency did enough for Shailer to adjust his sights with the New Zealand bred and to take aim at a far greater prize than the Class 1 he conquered last time.
“He is two from two and we are going to take him down to Sydney for the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick on October 25,” said Shailer.
There is certainly no lack of ambition there, jumping from Class 1 to Group 1 company, but it comes via a reasoned approach from Shailer.
“I mean, this time of the year and you’ve got a three-year-old who is bred like that (by Savabeel, who is sired by the great Zabeel, out of an O’Reilly broodmare) … he is going to run 2000m every day of the week and the Spring Champion Stakes generally does not have a full field.
“The first run he won well. The second win we had to ride him a bit upside down. He sat outside the leader. I’m convinced he is a better chaser, but he did a good job … and, yeah, it gives us the opportunity to race in a $2 million race now.”
How did the then still unraced Contingency make his way to the Shailer yard?
“Contingency was an expensive yearling ($340,000). Chris (Waller) trialled him twice (in April 2025).
“I saw enough in those trials. I thought he trialled very well, but they decided to move him on … so he was in the online sale (the Inglis sale in late June) and we got him for $70,000 … and for a first-time owner, who is obviously very happy after those two wins.”
Shailer himself trialled Contingency three times in preparation for his debut outing which came over 1600m, as did his follow-up win – results which confirmed Contingency could well be a horse on the move.
For the record, Shailer’s current hot run of form includes back-to-back wins by Contingency, back-to-back wins by Punjabi Landing, a win by Mintaka Lad in his first start since relocating to the stable and a win by Jimmy Nails.
