Deer Valley continues Lonhro streak

Lonhro confirmed his rating as one of Australia’s hottest young stallions with a Randwick quinella on Tuesday.

The one-two result follows an interstate treble on Saturday for the former champion racehorse.

Lonhro’s quinella came as the Chris Waller-trained Deer Valley held on to defeat Counterpane from the Peter Snowden stable in the Queen’s Park Handicap.

He has sired 51 winners this season and his progeny have won more than $2 million.

Lonhro is second in the second-season sire list by winners behind his Darley stablemate Exceed and Excel.

Lonhro has a full book for the upcoming breeding season, which must be making the decision makers at Darley believe they got it wrong when they announced a reduction to $33,000 for his 2009 fee.

Deer Valley raced on the speed and appeared set for an easy win when she shot clear topping the famous Randwick rise but Counterpane wound up strongly late and came up agonisingly short after lunging on the line.

“She’ll improve from that,” Waller said.

“It’s all come very quickly this preparation for her and she only trialled last Friday.”

Waller indicated he’d look for another suitable race for Deer Valley before reassessing his options.

“I like to find a Stakes race or two for her during the carnival,” he said.

Article By – Racenet www.racenet.com.au

CWR RUNNERS

RANDWICK – 30 JUNE

CANTERBURY – 1 JULY

Cups bid at the double for busy Waller

Chris Waller has high hopes of securing a two-state, feature-cup double on Saturday at his home track and the Sunshine Coast.

Waller will rely on imported stayer Alexander Of Hales to win the Caloundra Cup, while Come On Cugat is out to go one better than a close second in the Stayers Cup when it lines up in the Winter Cup at Rosehill.

“Both horses have done very well and it is not beyond the realms that they could both come out and win, that’s what I’m hoping for, anyway,” Waller said yesterday.

Waller had considered starting Alexander Of Hales in the Winter Cup alongside Come On Cugat but said there were a couple of factors that enticed him to the Caloundra Cup.

“The main one being that it is a $200,000 race,” Waller said.

“And it is going to be very wet up there and he handles it wet. The toughest horse will win over 2400 metres on a heavy track and I believe that is what he is.

“He has been getting progressively better with each run since he joined my stable and he’s one of those genuine European staying horses, a real strong, grinding type.”

Brad Pengelly takes the ride on Alexander Of Hales, which Waller said would back up in the Queensland Cup over 3200m at Eagle Farm on Saturday week.

“I wanted him to be in Queensland early to settle in for the cup up there, too,” Waller said. “So that was another contributing factor as to why we sent him up early for the Caloundra Cup.”

Waller said Come On Cugat, to be ridden by Jeff Penza, was knocking on the door of a win.

“And, given the amount of hard work Jeff Penza does for our stable, it would be deserving for him to win a good race on him,” Waller said.

Waller has a big team running at Rosehill, with Miss Independent and First Look tackling the Keno Handicap and Likenothinelsie and Imagining in the AHA (NSW) Foundation Handicap.

Rain Game and former Kiwi Black Panther represent Waller in other races and he has three two-year-olds – Big Birdie, Miss Mushu and Every Man’s Dream – in the opening race

Article by John Schell