3 minute read

A snapshot of the racing at Gosford.

Another 2YO winner for Waller 

Chris Waller's heady two-year-old season has continued with Chrysaor booking a spot on the trainer's Brisbane winter carnival team following a strong win in the opening race at Gosford. 

Having captured Sydney's juvenile triple crown for the first time with Shinzo (Golden Slipper) and Militarize (ATC Sires' Produce and Champagne Stakes), Waller will turn his attention to Queensland with his later-blooming team of youngsters and Chrysaor has put himself amongst them. 

Chryasaor hadn't raced since finishing down the track in the Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast in January but the style of his Gosford win left jockey Sam Clipperton in no doubt the colt could make his presence felt in races like the Group 1 J J Atkins Stakes (1600m) at Eagle Farm. 

"He gives me the feel of a horse that is going to have no dramas running extra distance, seven furlongs and perhaps even a mile, which I would say is the stable's main target up in Brisbane," Clipperton said. 

"He is fitting that bill nicely and he's got a serious amount of talent." 

Waller's stable representative Damien Fitton confirmed the champion trainer had a winter campaign in mind for Chryasaor provided he came through Saturday's win in good shape. 

"I'd say he will head up north to the J J Atkins as a possible option, but first and foremost we'll see how he comes through today's run," Fitton said. 

"He's got his win on the board first time back and he's in for a good preparation." 

Chrysaor ($12) was allowed to find his feet early and steamed home down the outside to defeat Namesake ($5.50) by 1-1/4 lengths with Snapback ($3.80 fav) another three-quarters of a length away after being held up for a run for most of the straight. 

Rawiller farewells NSW racing 

Brad Rawiller might be moving back to Victoria, but he has made the most of his opportunities during his stint in NSW, including meeting one of his sporting heroes. 

Saturday's Gosford meeting was the gifted rider's last before a return to his home state and he bowed out a winner with victory aboard the Kim Waugh-trained Turning ($4.60) in the Midway Handicap (1200m). 

Rawiller thanked Waugh, not only for her support during his three-month tenure, but for providing him with the opportunity to meet her husband, former international cricketer turned media commentator Mark. 

"Thanks to Kim Waugh. She has been giving me great opportunities since I've been here," Rawiller said. 

"She is a great trainer in her own right and has given me a lot of fun getting to meet Mark Waugh." 

Rawiller has decided to head back to Victoria due to the rigours of travelling long distances across NSW for rides and Waugh says the experienced jockey, who has won 25 Group 1 races across Australia, will be sorely missed. 

"It's a shame he's going back to Melbourne," Waugh said. 

"I said, 'come on Brad, you're giving up too quick'.  He's a very, very good rider and we've had a lot of luck with him." 

Rawiller will drive back to Victoria on Sunday and has taken three rides at Ballarat on Tuesday. 

Import teaches rivals some Hometruths  

French import Hometruths was brought to Australia in the hope she could develop into a stakes-class mare and she took an important step towards that goal with her first local win in Saturday's Prestige Wedding & Event Hire Handicap (2100m) at Gosford. 

Still a three-year-old by northern hemisphere time, the daughter of Frankel unleashed a stunning turn of foot from back in the field to demolish her rivals by a three lengths and jockey Kerrin Mcevoy said there was still more in the tank. 

"When I asked her, she just went 'boom' and away she went," McEvoy said. 

"She did it ever so easy. Nice horse on the up. 

"I was lucky enough to sit on her in quarantine when she first lobbed here and she has come a long way since then and handled herself well there today." 

Raced by Yu Long Investments, Hometruths was having just her third run for trainer Chris Waller after finishing midfield in the Epona Stakes (1900m) and a closing second over 1800m at Hawkesbury last start. 

Stable representative Damien Fitton said they were confident she would give Saturday's race a shake and still weren't sure where her ceiling lay. 

"She's a lovely mare. She is still only three so I think the world's her oyster," Fitton said. 

"She was purchased to win some black-type in Australia so off the back of that, she's onwards and upwards and I think she's a big chance of doing that." 

Vowmaster lands overdue win 

Connections of Vowmaster have been on a roller-coaster journey but the five-year-old has rewarded their patience with his first win in two-and-a-half years. 

The gelding showed early talent with stylish victories at his first two starts in Victoria then didn't quite go on with the job at his next preparation before he was sidelined for 18 months by injury. 

He returned last summer with three competitive runs, including a third to King Of Sparta in the Magic Millions Sprint, before finally breaking his run of outs with a dynamic first-up performance in Saturday's MMM Thunder Thousand Handicap (1000m). 

"He ran well last preparation and he ran a massive race in the Magic Millions, had a nice spell and he's been in great order this time in," said Damien Fitton representing the Chris Waller stable. 

Vowmaster made a good impression on Kerrin McEvoy, who said he came to the race confident after some words of advice from fellow jockey James McDonald during the week. 

"'J Mac' pulled me aside on Wednesday and he said, 'this horse has grown up a lot and he's come back in nice order' and he was proved right there," McEvoy said. 

"He gave me a nice feel. He was really relaxed in the run and I just gave him a little nudge to get up on the back of Kin at the 500 but once we got past the 400 and into business, he was away." 

Vowmaster ($5.50) pulled clear over the final stages to beat Kin ($3.30 fav) by three-quarters of a length with Shadow Vampire ($21) third. 

Quote of the day: ""The Kiwi owners from the South Island, they've never seen that. They haven't got houses worth $30,000." – Trainer John Sargent on what winning the $500,000 The Coast meant to some of the owners of Palmetto.