Horse Racing
5 hours ago
Waller: Autumn Glow eyeing off Royal Ascot campaign in 2027
By Connor Scanlon
Superstar trainer Chris Waller has provided an update on majority of the star horses from his stable.
From Autumn Glow potentially heading to Royal Ascot in 2027 to setting Private Harry up for a career at stud, Waller has ran through each of his stars.
See Waller’s full stable update below:
Autumn Glow
“She'll start off in the Apollo (1400m), most likely go Chipping Norton (1600m), then back to 1500m for the George Ryder. That would be our initial plans,” Waller on SENTrack & RSN's Giddy Up.
“If we need to divert along the way, we will.
“Whether we get to a Queen Elizabeth (2000m), I'm not sure. She'll tell us probably in the Chipping Norton second-up which way she's tracking.
“She's obviously got speed – she’s a winner over short distances out to a mile. So, we’re still sort of questioning the 2000m category at the moment.”
In fact, Waller revealed that the undefeated mare could be travelling overseas to Royal Ascot in 2027, if she continues her stellar form throughout this year.
“She could well be part of a (Royal) Ascot team the following year if she continues to progress well,” the trainer announced.
“(Queen Anne across a mile) would be (a target), if we keep heading along in the right direction.”
When asked if the four-year-old is better across a mile or 2000m, Waller admitted that he had no idea but leaned towards the mile.
“I'm not sure, if she gets better over 2000m, she's going to be pretty good,” Waller said.
“I guess we'll have to find out sooner rather than later, but I don't know. We're going to learn a lot about her this prep.
“There's nothing that tells me at home that you can't see, apart from her being a big strong horse, so is she that sprinter-miler or is she a big strong 2000m horse?
“To me she looks more like a miler.”
Aeliana
“She's got her slicks on finally, she looks fantastic,” Waller confirmed.
“She was always healthy last prep, but she never looked much good and she looked very light as well.
“So she's heavier (now), she looks better, and working just as well as she was in the spring.
“I think we can see a big improvement. She's the real smokey of being our Queen Elizabeth horse, if she steps up.
The trainer also confirmed that her autumn carnival path will be the Apollo Stakes, into the Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m), into the Ranvet Stakes (2000m), into the Queen Elizabeth as her Grand Final.
Buckaroo
“He’s good, he's freshened up well (and) had two trials,” Waller stated.
“He travels down to Melbourne next week and he'll run first-up in the Futurity (1400m).
“He loves Caulfield, so he'll be our Futurity, All-Star Mile, Australian Cup (2000m) horse - they're his best distances as well.”
Fangirl
“She had a small procedure done to her fetlock, nothing major, but she's had a longer break,” the trainer revealed.
“She’ll resume in the All Aged Stakes (1400m).”
Autumn Boy
“He's certainly come back well, James (McDonald) was very pleased with his trial yesterday,” Waller said.
“He'll resume in the Hobartville (1400m), then go to the Randwick Guineas (1600m) and then pick a path from there.
“Weight would be my only concern with the Doncaster Mile – the Group 1 three-year-old winners get a bit of weight – I’m just a bit mindful of that and how much he's asked to carry.
“If he didn't run there, I guess it's the Rosehill Guineas (2000m).
Angel Capital
“I think there's plenty (of Group 1s) that he could win – it’s just a matter of getting a little bit of racing luck,” Waller said.
“I think then Newmarket (1200m) down the straight from a timing perspective is probably his first good opportunity.
“It's likely he'll run in the Expressway (1200m) in 10 days' time in Sydney, and then into the Newmarket.
“A race like the William Reid (1200m) would also be good at Caulfield, but Newmarket comes first at this stage.”
Lady Shenandoah
“She's going pretty well and she could resume in the Expressway as well,” Waller revealed.
“The predicament we've got is Joliestar's there as well, and I don't really want all three of them (Lady Shenandoah, Joliestar & Angel Capital) running together.
“So we might hold one of the fillies or mares back, being Joliestar or Lady Shenandoah, to the Millie Fox (1300m) the following week.
Regarding whether Lady Shenandoah will be a sprinter this preparation or a miler, Waller admitted that they will try and stretch the four-year-old out in distance.
“I think we'll definitely get her out a little bit,” Waller said.
“Canterbury Stakes (1300m) is probably her first big target, so that'll be second-up.
“But the same again, you could be running into Joliestar there as well.
“I wouldn't rush to get her out to a mile, but options there certainly.”
Joliestar
“She's good, she trialled yesterday and James (McDonald) said that she felt terrific and she's quite forward in condition,” revealed Waller.
“She could resume in the Expressway.
“I thought about the Futurity, but 1400m first-up and she has to come back to a sprinting prep, so TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) is her big ticket item.
“It's just a matter of whether we keep her in Sydney and go Expressway, Canterbury Stakes, TJ, or we go Expressway, try and defend her title in the Newmarket and then come back to the TJ.”
The trainer also confirmed Joliestar will “definitely be on the plane” to Royal Ascot this year, if she performs well in the autumn.
Wodeton
“He’s going pretty good, he worked well yesterday morning,” Waller revealed.
“He’ll run this weekend in the Eskimo Prince (1200m), and he also could head down to the Newmarket.
“He obviously is a colt by Wootton Bassett, and he just needs to tick off that big Group 1.
“He's run second in a Golden Slipper (1200m) and second in the Golden Rose (1400m), so we have to win a Group 1 with him.”
Waller also revealed that he will attempt to send Wodeton on an international campaign before a likely retirement to stud at the end of the colt’s three-year-old season.
“With those good colts, they normally get retired after the end of their three-year-old year, so we try and win as many as we can before they get retired,” Waller stated.
“So yes, (an overseas trip), will be certainly be on the cards.”
Beiwacht
“Happy with his two trials, he's continuing to mature mentally and subsequently he's relaxing better, really like a foolproof horse basically,” the trainer said.
“He'll resume in the Lightning (1000m) and he's going to have a good gallop down the strait on Friday morning.”
With a potential Dubai campaign on the cards for Beiwacht, Waller revealed that the reason for planning to run the colt on the Flemington straight is to prepare him for his potential overseas trip.
“The reason for getting him down nice and early (is) if we're going to Dubai, we would have had three runs up the straight, being last prep, the Lightning, and then the Newmarket.
“We only want to take him if we think he can win in Dubai. He'll have to be in his best form, and he'll be a gun down the straight by the time he gets there, if he gets there.”
Jokers Grin
“He's settled into our system well, but he's not in our camp yet,” revealed Waller.
“He's with Greg Bennett in the Southern Highlands, just south of Sydney, and I think he comes to us early next week with the view of most likely a two-run prep in Queensland.
“There's a couple of sprint races (in Queensland), one of them is a Group 1 and I think the other is a Group 2.
“So just get him into a good rhythm and routine and used to racing here and hopefully have a really big spring with him.
“From what I've seen, he's been a very impressive horse and capable of still improving a bit more.”
Private Harry
“(He will have) pretty much the same races (as Jokers Grin),” Waller stated.
“A light, late autumn and hope to get him in good form.
“He's already won a group 1 race, so it's all about building his value and setting him up for a stallion career.”






