Chris Waller trained his 207th career Group 1 winner and a record-equalling seventh Epsom Handicap success with God’s Window but he was the first to admit apprentice Siena Grima was the story.
Siena Grima, 24, Sydney’s reigning premier apprentice, was competing in her first Group 1 race and became only the second female rider to win the famous Royal Randwick mile after Kathy O’Hara won on the Chris Waller-trained Rediener three years ago.
Waller gave Grima a simple piece of advice before legging Grima into the saddle for the $1.5million race.
“I said to Sienna, treat this like any other race, don’t stress and enjoy yourself – she has certainly done that,” Waller said.
Grima said her self-belief has grown under the mentorship of Waller and Hall of Fame jockey Darren Beadman.
“I honestly was filled with confidence just with the horse and the confidence Darren and Chris had coming into it,” Grima said.
“They just told me to have a great time and have fun, and I can’t thank everyone that has been involved in getting me here, but just to have my first Group 1 win with my first Group 1 ride is unreal.”
Grima became the first apprentice to win the Epsom since Wayne Harris on Gold Circle in 1981 when lightweight God’s Window ($26) finished powerfully to win by two lengths from gallant topweight Ceolwulf ($9.50) with Tom Kitten ($31) a length away third.
This will be an Epsom remembered for Grima’s historic win but it was race full of highlights including:
#New Zealand wonder mare Well Written wasn’t quite at home in the soft track conditions but ran bravely for sixth.
#Favourite Autumn Boy ($3.80) didn’t have a lot of room on the rails and finished seventh.
#Attica got fired up with blinkers on and raced on the lead into the straight before fading for ninth.
#Apprentice Jackson Radley also had his first Group 1 ride and finished a very good fourth on Plymouth.
#Perfumist struggled in the soft track conditions and ran last.
But it was Grima’s day and the articulate young woman handled her first Group 1 win with a calmness that belied her inexperience.
“I galloped him Thursday, and he just gave me the most incredible feel,” Grima said.
“I had a lovely cart out wide to the better part of the track, and he just filled me with confidence the entire way and when I went past them all I thought, I’m going to win my first Group One! And I did.”
Grima admitted she was worried that God’s Window might have got a “little bit” too far back on settling down.
“He can get on the chewy and when he didn’t begin the best, I didn’t want to upset him and rev him up, so I just jumped, let him slide across,” she said.
“I was back with Mollie (Fitzgerald on Encap) and I thought, us girls are going to get this done.
“I remember Darren (Beadman) saying ‘get on your train early’. I followed Plymouth out and he gave me a beautiful cart out, and when I got into him he just kept finding.
“I probably won’t be turning up to work on Monday. Just joking. I’ll be there for track work, Chris, don’t worry.”
God’s Window gave Waller his seventh Epsom to equal the training record of the late, great Tommy Smith and his daughter, Gai Waterhouse.
Waller, who has also won the Epsom with Autumn Glow (2025), Rediener (2023), Kolding (2019), Winx (2015), He’s Your Man (2014) and Boban (2013), was momentarily lost for words after Grima’s win.
“It’s an amazing feat and a Group 1 win will give her so much confidence,” Waller said.
“I’m so happy for her, I’m getting emotional. When she came to us, she wanted to learn. Tough is not the right word but she’s an amazing horse person.
“She is there every morning and is the same person every day. She is one of those real professional athletes we read about and dream about being.
“But she is the same person as when she started, she doesn’t think she is anything special and is the same girl every day.
“We have a big team in Melbourne today and Darren Beadman is down there but was the first person on the phone, he was in tears as he has put so much work into Siena. It is a fairytale win.”
As for God’s Window, the son of English super sire was stakes placed in England was considered good enough to contest the 2024 Epsom Derby where he ran unplaced behind champion City Of Troy.
God’s Window was sent down under to be trained by Waller last year and the lightly-raced gelding has slowly improved the longer he has been with the champion trainer.
“He found form through the winter,” Waller said. “Sydney racing, 52 weeks of the year, it gives you a bit of confidence if you can race consistently.
“His first-up run was terrific and we picked this race out after he went for his winter spell.
“We felt we would give him the one run into the Epsom and it worked.”
Ceolwulf ran a blinder under 59kg to finish second and is right on track for a potential three-peat in the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on October 17.
“He has gone terrific,” said Chad Schofield, rider of Ceolwulf.
“He had a perfect run throughout following the right horses. He was on the back of Idle Flyer and later Tom Kitten but they didn’t take me anywhere. T
“That resulted in me being held up which with the big weight wasn’t ideal but he burst through the pack and was very good.”
Jockey Adam Hyeronimus said Tom Kitten has “gone fantastic”.
“We had to work into a position, then he presented to win but peaked on his run,” Hyeronimus said.
James McDonald, rider of Autumn Boy, described barrier one as a “bit of a curse”.
“We got shuffled back at the wrong time and didn’t get clear air so it was a forgive,” McDonald said.
Well Written moved into the race as a likely winner half way down the straight but could manage only sixth.
“I couldn’t fault the way she presented,” jockey Zac Lloyd said of Well Written.
“The first half went perfect, the run presented, if she quickened well enough she would have gotten through but she didn’t quicken as well as she did in New Zealand.”
