Seasoned campaigner Waterford bobs up for a win most preparations, and Chris Waller has had the Hawkesbury Gold Cup circled as a target for some time.
The seven-year-old, whose last victory came in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill in September, hasn’t raced since resuming with an unplaced effort in the Doncaster Prelude (1500m) on March 28.
Waller’s assistant trainer, Charlie Duckworth, said giving Waterford a month off had been a deliberate ploy as connections looked to dodge the major Sydney autumn carnival races to focus on Saturday’s Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m).
“Literally, it was just to wait for Hawkesbury,” Duckworth said.
“He’s had four weeks between runs. He’s had a barrier trial, and he trialled at Hawkesbury.
“He’s more than capable of winning a race like that on his day.”
Waterford will be part of a strong Cup hand for Waller, who also has the in-form Captain Furai chasing a hat-trick of wins, last year’s runner-up Osipenko, Imperialist and Yet He Moves.
Waller also holds the aces in the Clarendon Stakes (1400m) with five of the eight runners, headlined by The Autumn Sun youngster, The Roaring Sun, who finished runner-up to subsequent stakes placegetter Seraphox on debut at Warwick Farm earlier this month.
Duckworth believes the colt has stakes-class potential and hopes Saturday’s race can be a launchpad to the Brisbane winter carnival.
“Our best two-year-old going there is The Roaring Sun. He was narrowly beaten at Warwick Farm, caught wide the trip,” Duckworth said.
“He is a genuine Group horse, and this is a race Chris has used in the past as a stepping stone (to Queensland).”
The Clarendon Stakes has been won by some handy horses, including Zardozi, who scored in 2023 before going on to claim the VRC Oaks (2500m) the following spring.
Waller has successfully used it as a pipe-opener to Brisbane with several of his later-maturing two-year-olds, notably Zoustar who was victorious in 2013 before capturing that year’s Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Doomben and finishing runner-up in the Group 1 J J Atkins (1600m).
