โI swear on my life, I donโt, because youโve got so many other horses to think about,โ he said.
โI think thatโs a big thing when youโre training a few good horses. It takes the distraction away.
โIf she was our only good horse, Iโd be going crazy. But Iโm thinking about Aeliana, Iโm thinking about Lindermann. Theyโre both good horses.
โIโm thinking about Trinity College. Iโm thinking about Wootton Verni and how I get him to a Ranvet and a Tancred. Iโm thinking about Soul Of Spain and if I could win a Sydney Cup with him. All the same thoughts, all the races, thatโs part of a puzzle. To get them to those targets, and in some ways, itโs good. It just takes away the distraction.โ
In that sense, Waller says the scene is similar to the Winx era.
โWinx won a Queen Elizabeth and we won the Oaks and the Sydney Cup,โ he said.
โYou are putting a saddle on Autumn Glow, but three races before that, two weeks ago, we were saddling up Joliestar, Lady Shenandoah, so it just suits me. It doesnโt help me to overthink things.โ
Waller was low-key about Autumn Glowโs Apollo domination, which has set up preparations for Saturday. She has drawn well in gate three and a potential wet track would be of little concern given her win in the Golden Eagle on a soft 7.
โIt was good,โ Waller said of the Apollo run.
โI havenโt gone into it too much. I choose not to, just to keep things simple. Their first run is so important for me, to know exactly where they are at.
โJust normal routine since. She races, she goes back to the Hermitage for three days. She comes back to us. Had a quiet gallop Saturday, and stronger gallop Tuesday, off to the races.
โShe was well-prepared going into her first-up run. That sets the foundation. Everything in our control is good. We just need a bit of luck race day.โ
Waller was focused on Saturdayโs run but said the George Ryder Stakes remained the next target. After that, the Doncaster, Queen Of The Turf and Queen Elizabeth were all under consideration.
In Saturdayโs other Group 1 at Randwick, the Surround Stakes (1400m), Waller has Karinska ($34) and Panova ($17) building towards likely targets the Coolmore Classic and Vinery respectively.
Perhaps Wallerโs most interesting runner on Saturday is Central Europe, which debuts in the Group 2 Skyline Stakes. The $750,000 Frankel colt opened at $15 (TAB) for the Golden Slipper and remained at $18 off three trials. He was $8.50 on Saturday.
โHeโs been playing schoolboy rugby and doing pretty well, and heโs playing NRL on Saturday,โ Waller said.
โItโs just that time of the year, thereโs no other way of doing it. Heโs thrown in the deep end.โ
He also has Campione DโItalia and Inglis Millennium winner Fireball in the Slipper qualifier.
โHeโll have a good break after Saturday if heโs not up to it,โ he said of Campione DโItalia.
โAt home, heโs a good horse. Race day, heโs got to prove it.
โFireball, Saturday is not his grand final so we just want to see him finishing off strong from a tricky draw.โ
