Champion expat New Zealand trainer Chris Waller enjoyed a highly successful afternoon at Rosehill on Saturday, saddling four winners and reaching 150 city wins for the season, and two of his victories came with impressive performances from New Zealand-breds Lord Ardmore and Bold Mac.
Lord Ardmore headed a Waller trifecta in the A$150,000 Vale Nick Moraitis Handicap (1800m), leading all the way and kicking clear for a commanding two-length victory over Francesco Guardi and Mubariz. Both the first and third placegetters race in the blue and white colours of prominent Kiwi syndicators Go Racing.
“Lord Ardmore is a horse that likes to get on with it in his races,’’ Waller said. “He was very strong through the line today, he’s a decent horse with a bright future.
“He had a great preparation last time in, we gave him a long spell and he looks to have come back really well.
“We are looking at some of these new races in the spring like The Big Dance (1600m) and Five Diamonds (1800m) – they are massive new races that everyone is talking about.’’
Lord Ardmore was bred by The Oaks Stud and is by Reliable Man out of the stakes-placed Darci Brahma mare Outshine.
Bought by Go Racing for $65,000 from The Oaks Stud’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2019, Lord Ardmore has now had 18 starts for four wins, five placings and A$354,939 in stakes. He began his career in the Ardmore stable of Stephen McKee, scoring a maiden win at Tauranga and finishing fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m).
Waller’s other Kiwi-bred winner was Bold Mac, who made a perfect Australian debut with a gritty victory in the A$150,000 Victor Ludorum @ Darley Handicap.
Previously the winner of three races from the Waverley stable of his part-owner Colin Cromarty, the four-year-old son of The Bold One has now earned A$131,944 in his 10-start, four-win career.
“He was sent to us in great condition from the previous trainer, who’s in the ownership,” Waller said. “He obviously knows what he’s doing, because he said, ‘Yeah, he goes pretty good.’
“I questioned why he hadn’t run over further, and he said there had been no need to. I think, when he gets up to a mile, you’ll see a better horse again. He’s been well looked after, he’s a good New Zealand product, and he’s got a bright future.
“He’s a lovely horse, and their body language tells you straight away whether they’ve been looked after or not. He’s fitted in really quickly, and we’ll have a good horse on our hands.”