Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller believes his Kiwi-bred Militarize is a champion in the making and is confident he can take a step closer to that level when he contests Saturday’s Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
"He's got all the qualities of a champion, he's just got to tick a few more boxes to get to that status,” Waller told Racing.com.
"We have just got to hold him together. We don't need him to run faster. We don't need to improve any aspect of the horse. Just keep him in good shape and keep him happy and he, being a racehorse, will do the rest.
"He's a lovely horse to work with. He's an absolute gentleman. He doesn't realise his price tag and doesn't expect anything special. He just goes about his work in a tradesman-like way and is just a pleasure to work with.
"He's nice and compact. A well put-together horse. Not too big, not too small. Just perfect."
The son of Dundeel has won four of his seven starts to date, including the Gr.1 Inglis Sires’ (1400m), Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m), and Gr.1 Golden Rose (1400m), and bookmakers are favouring the quality colt to add a fourth to his tally this weekend.
"On ratings he looks to have a pretty good hand in the race," Waller said. "He's certainly the benchmark.
"He's certainly done it at two and he's come back and been very impressive in the early part of his three-year-old year, so it's just a matter of continuing to progress.
"Everything we ask of him to do, he delivers, and he delivers it in pretty good style.
"His wins in Group One races at two were solid performances. He wasn't just winning. He was beating up good horses by big spaces.
"His run in the Golden Rose against the speedy three-year-old colts was good. He had to overcome a bit of a scrimmage in the straight and surged late, so everything he does has got the makings of a really good hose.
"You can't do much more than what he's done at two and now coming back and won a stallion-making race at three."
"It's no surprise to see him come back as well as he has because, as I said, we didn't put him under pressure to win a Sires' and Champagne.
"He's done it himself. They are the horses they train on.”
Militarize was bred by Jonathan Munz’s GSA Bloodstock Limited and is out of the British-bred mare Amerindia, who foaled Militarize at Haunui Farm in New Zealand after being sent across the Tasman to be served by Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth in the 2020 breeding season.