Stormy Marco made an impressive debut and led home a Chris Waller stable trifecta as hot favourite Tenenbaum flopped in the Clarendon Stakes (1400m) at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
The two-year-old feature is the traditional opener at the Hawkesbury stand-alone and is often used by Waller to prepare his emerging two-year-olds for the Brisbane winter carnival.
This is the likely path for Stormy Marco and stablemate Nations League after they fought out the finish.
Stormy Marco ($21) was the outsider of Waller’s three starters but he finished strongly under Sam Clipperton to score by a half length from Nations League ($7.50) with another two lengths to Fondness ($8.50).
Tenenbaum was sent out the $1.22 favourite but after having every chance in the run, he faded to finish only fourth, beating just Grafology to the line.
Waller wasn’t on track at Hawkesbury but his assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said Stormy Marco and Nations League are likely to be aimed at the Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm next month.
“Stormy Marco was in the trials on Monday but when this race fell away and became a field of five, we felt he should be running,” Duckworth said.
“He’s by Wootton Bassett, a sire who is flying at the moment, and we felt the colt trialled well enough and had the education to go to the races.
“The 1400m was a better option for him than going to Gosford next week (1200m).
“As it turned out, he did everything right today and was strong late.
Clipperton, who rode a patient, stalking race, was also impressed by Stormy Marco’s winning debut.
“He’s a quiet-natured horse and will only improve off that,” Clipperton said. “He has kicked off his career in good style today.”
Duckworth said there was also plenty of merit in the efforts of placegetters Nations League and Fondness.
“Nations League had to dig deep and was strong to the line but he might have been beaten by a good one,” he said.
“Fondness did well jumping from 1100m to 1400m which is never easy.”
Waller did scratch promising colt The Roaring Sun from the Clarendon on race morning but Duckworth said the youngster is likely to go to either the Gosford stand-alone meeting or the Ken Russell Memorial Classic at the Gold Coast next Saturday.
Another of the stable’s boom youngsters, unbeaten St Gotthard trialled at Canterbury last Friday and is likely also to race either at Gosford or the Gold Coast next week.
In latest TAB Fixed Odds betting for the Group 1 $1 million JJ Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 13, The Roaring Sun is second favourite at $7, St Gotthard $11 and Nations League $26 behind unbeaten Melbourne youngster Blind Raise at $4.50.