Master trainers Chris Waller and Gai Waterhouse speak from Flemington trackwork a week out from the race that stops the nation
Chris Waller has an uncanny way of putting things into perspective when it comes to summarising two of the biggest races of Melbourne Cup week.
The winner of one, he says, will become a household name.
The winner of the other will be worth a lot more money.
The champion trainer was talking, of course, about a sprint and a staying test – the $2 million group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (over 1200 metres) for three-year-olds on Saturday, compared to the $10.2 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) three days later.
Waller has runners in both.
“The horse that wins the Coolmore on Saturday is probably going to be the most lucrative or expensive horse at the end of the carnival,” Waller said on Tuesday.
“So, a Melbourne Cup winner – everybody wants it. They become a household name.
“But in terms of a stallion or a filly, it passes that value on to the siblings, and if you’re a stallion, you can cover mares, and obviously that turns into a very lucrative scenario as well.
“The winner of the Coolmore will be worth upwards of $30 million.”
Waller has long understood the value of winning Saturday’s stallion-making race – a 1200m dash down the Flemington Straight on Derby Day. He has snared six of the past 13 editions.
On Saturday, he could make it seven in what is shaping as a family affair.
The race’s third favourite, St Gotthard, to be ridden by James McDonald, is a full brother to Waller’s 2024 winner Switzerland – both are by super sire Snitzel out of mare Ms Bad Behaviour.
“He’s the younger sibling who is ready to make a name for himself,” the Sydney trainer said.
Waller’s other runner, longshot Steel Will, shares the same mother as his 2020 winning filly September Run. Steel Will is by I Am Invincible, out of Pittsburgh Flyer, while September Run is by Exceed And Excel, and also out of Pittsburgh Flyer.
“That’s probably something quite unique. Hopefully, they’ve got the genetics and can quinella the race,” Waller said of his two runners.
There are heightened expectations that come with racing an expensive colt such as St Gotthard, which was bought for $2.7 million by world-renowned breeding and racing operation Coolmore at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sales in April last year. But Waller has been there before.
“You learn not to worry about price tags and not to worry about the pressure of it,” Waller said.
“I guess it’s like a footy coach – once you’ve been to a couple of grand finals, or been in the final season a few years in a row, it does help.
“We’ve also got a great team that have been with me for a long time. The horses, they all get looked after the same, regardless of the price tags.”
Waller might have dominated the Coolmore Stud Stakes in recent years, but the Melbourne Cup has been a different story.
A renowned trainer of sprinters and middle distance horses, his sole winner was Verry Elleegant in 2021. He is unlikely to add to that tally this year.
“It wouldn’t be our strongest year,” he said.
Asterix, part-owned by Kiwi cricket great Mark Greatbatch, is an outsider, while Soul Of Spain ran second in the Sydney Cup before an eighth in the Caulfield Cup.
Perhaps his best chances are still to make the cut-off.
Up-and-coming stayer Pinhole needs at least four horses to withdraw before next Tuesday to gain a start, while 2023 runner-up Soulcombe – owned by a group of premiership Tigers including Tom Lynch – needs to finish in the top three in Wednesday’s Bendigo Cup to pass the ballot clause.
Hall-of-fame trainer Gai Waterhouse will also be sweating on the Bendigo Cup result – she needs The Euphrates to win to be assured a Melbourne Cup start.
“He was off the scene for two years, so this is a big step for him,” she said.
“Tomorrow is a vital race for him, and if he can run really well or win it, then we are in.”
Waterhouse and her co-trainer Adrian Bott are guaranteed at least one Cup runner.
Vauban is lining up for his fourth start in the race that stops the nation, having previously finished 14th, 11th and sixth. They took over training the Irish import from Willie Mullins at the end of 2024.
“I love this gelding, I really do,” Waterhouse said. “He’ll be going in with only one run under his belt, which is a bit unorthodox. But, you know, why not roll the dice a different way?”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
