It has been a while, but Stephanie Thornton is finally back on a Chris Waller trained horse, taking up the reins on Oscar Zulu in the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup on Saturday.
“I think I’ve only had one ride for Chris Waller. That was back in Victoria when I was an apprentice. It was in an apprentice race,” said Thornton. “It has been a long time.”
‘My manager informed me late last week that I’d been offered the ride. Obviously, Oscar Zulu is a very nice ride, and I was happy to jump on board.”
Through her riding expertise and work ethic, Thornton has enjoyed a fabulous run of results and all round achievement since relocating to Queensland in 2019 where her riding talents are currently very much in demand from a large number of stables, most notably that of multiple Premiership winning trainer Tony Gollan who now has Thornton firmly entrenched in his main pool of riders.
If Chris Waller could be added to the list of the regular source of rides for Thornton moving forward … well, that would just open up another set of opportunities for a rider who has impressed by the way she has set about making her own luck over the last eighteen months.
A win on Oscar Zulu, while not essential, would obviously be a big point of lift-off in that regard.
In terms of the horse’s credentials, Oscar Zulu won his second last start when saluting at Randwick in December over 1400m at double figure odds.
Waller then sent Oscar Zulu north to contest the $1 million Magic Millions Cup at the Gold Coast where the Epaulette gelding finished unplaced in a race won by Eleven Eleven.
“The Magic Millions run was probably not a run you would take a lot of notice of when you just look at the placing on paper, but he was beaten under three lengths and came from well back in the field,” commented Thornton.
“I think it was a huge run.”
‘Also, the horse has got wet form which is a huge plus. The (Sunshine Coast) track is a currently a soft seven.
“Obviously, there are a couple of others in the race who also like the soft going, but the favourite Desert Lord doesn’t particularly like it wet … so I think it really brings us right into the race.”
Oscar Zulu, who is Chris Waller’s only runner in the Sunshine Coast Cup, is currently marked up at $8.50 with Neds.
