Shellscrape to strike

The setback suffered by boom colt Rothesay has opened the door for Shellscrape to keep rising through the ranks at Randwick tomorrow.

Shellscrape faces his class test in the Group Three $125,000 San Domenico Stakes (1000m). His task has been made easier after Rothesay was not among final acceptors yesterday.

Unbeaten Rothesay, who would have been the short-priced favourite, was found to have an elevated temperature after trackwork.

Trainer Gerald Ryan said Rothesay was “too valuable and too good to risk” but remained hopeful the three-year-old would recover quickly and still race during the spring carnival.

Betting on the San Domenico was thrown wide open with Queensland filly Kiss Me Katy early TAB Fixed-Odds favourite at $4.20 ahead of Winter King at $5.50. Chris Waller’s durable Shellscrape is on the third line of betting at $6.

“Rothesay was shaping as the horse of the spring so it is bad luck for the connections,” Waller said.

“Hopefully the setback is not too serious but in his absence it certainly gives Shellscrape a chance. I’m certainly not over-confident, it’s a good race, but we are happy with our colt going into the San Domenico.”

Shellscrape was one of the busiest juveniles last season, starting in nine races, winning three and earning more than $200,000.

“Shellscrape is the first natural two-year-old I’ve ever trained,” Waller said. “He’s a tough horse and took everything in his stride without too much trouble last season.

“He kept improving and probably produced his best efforts in Brisbane at the end of his campaign.”

Shellscrape scored two wins at Doomben and Eagle Farm with his final races as a two-year-old, including a dominant win in the Listed Bicentennial Stakes on June 20.

Waller then gave Shellscrape a short break before tuning him up for the San Domenico with a barrier trial win over 810m at Warwick Farm on July 28. The trainer is hopeful Shellscrape has retained some residual fitness from his Brisbane winter carnival campaign which might provide a vital edge tomorrow.

Prior to Shellscrape’s successful Brisbane campaign, he had become something of a professional placegetter in his first seven Sydney starts, winning just once but recording five minor placings.

In hindsight, there was nothing wrong with the colt’s form because it took some very promising gallopers such as Kanzan and More Than Cash to beat him.

“All the Sydney two-year-old form over the last six months of last season was outstanding,” Waller said. “I think you will see some really good horses emerge from this group during the spring.”

Waller is hopeful Shellscrape is one of them but revealed that he hasn’t made definite plans beyond the San Domenico Stakes.

Even a possible start in the $1 million Golden Rose at Rosehill Gardens later this month is up in the air.

“I’m just taking it one race at a time,” he said. “He’s a Listed winner at the moment and I hope we can turn him into a Group winner.”

Article By: Ray Thomas – Daily Telegraph

Waller has the top trainers in his sights

OVER the past 12 months, Chris Waller has found that with success comes an expectation that has little to do with the public or the media. Since arriving in Sydney about a decade ago, Waller has slowly risen among the Sydney training ranks through hard work and results and is poised to become a serious threat to the domination of Gai Waterhouse and Peter Snowden.

He has enjoyed his best season to date and Waller, who is third on the trainers’ premiership with 64.5 wins, told Sportsman he is proud of his achievements to date and is hoping to build on them in the new season. “Growing a stable in Sydney is not something you can plan on, but you hope for the best,” Waller said. “We have stepped up to a bigger stable, which is not only a big financial burden but a huge logistical operation. “There are a lot of staff (Waller has 40) and also owners and making sure the job gets done is not easy. “But I’ve proven to myself that I can do it and I think there are better times ahead.”

When Waller made a permanent  move from New Zealand to his Rosehill base he had about six horses. Today he has 80 horses in work at the stable and a total of 150 under his care. Increasing numbers mean increasing pressure to get results and Waller acknowledges that – but not quite in the way you’d expect.

“There is a pressure that no-one ever sees and it is the little things that no-one imagines,” he said. “There’s the day you get three winners at Randwick and you go home and it is not enough. You want four winners.

“It is a matter of trying to do everything perfectly and it is not easy, because, no matter how hard you try, it can all come down to the individual horse. “In a perfect world you will go home with all your owners happy but it doesn’t happen.”

Training horses for high profile owners isn’t new to Waller, but when Bob Ingham announced the famous all cerise team would join his stable, the eyes of Sydney racing quickly zoomed in. Ingham outlayed millions of dollars at the yearling sales. To date runners, and winners, have been scarce, but Waller has always said the bulk of the Ingham team would excel as they matured and he stands by that view.

The all cerise will be carried by promising colt Stryker in The Rosebud (1200m) at Rosehill tomorrow and Waller said he is typical of the type of horse he trains for Ingham, but certainly not the best. “We haven’t had a lot of two-year old winners, but what we have got are sound horses,” he said.

“If I had the last 12 months over again I wouldn’t do it any differently.”I was critical of myself halfway through the season that I hadn’t put enough pressure on them, but I look back and I’m convinced it was the right thing. “Fortunately (the Inghams) are great owners to train for and have seen what I’ve been doing to get the best out of the horses over a long period.” If Waller is right then the team of horses he trains for Ingham couldhold the key to his future premiership prospects.

Stryker had his first run since the autumn two weeks ago and produced a game, on-pace second behind boom youngster Rothesay. Waller was pleased with the run and is expecting improvement out of the colt tomorrow. “Stryker is a good example of what I’m talking about, because in my opinion he was never going to make a two-year-old,” Waller said. “He spent most of his preparation sleeping and laying in the box. “Fortunately, he was competitive in the lead up to the Slipper when he was going through that period. “He was there doing all the work up front (first-up) and was beaten by a good horse. He will be fitter for that and will run well.”

Meanwhile, Waller’s current stable stars Triple Honour and Danleigh are at different stages of their spring preparations. Triple Honour, the 2008 Doncaster winner, is set to trial in mid-August, while Danleigh, who won the All- Aged Stakes earlier this year, is about six weeks behind his stablemate.

Article By – Ray Hickson – www.thesportsman.com.au

Chris Waller Interview on RacenetTV – 4 August

To view RacenetTV and the latest interview with Chris Waller please open the following link and then click on ‘Chris Waller’ on the left hand side to start is playing.

Chris talks to Dallas Baker about the Rosehill trials this morning, his runners at Randwick this Saturday and some potential Spring Carnival hopes.

http://www.racenettv.com.au/default.asp?f=video-090804-chris.f4v