Angland and Drama bid to jinx Winx
Australians will be pausing to watch the mighty Winx's bid to record her fifteenth straight win tomorrow when she lines up in the $600,000 Gr.1 Chipping Norton Stakes (16.30 local time, 05.30 in UK) at Randwick.
Yet her trainer, Sydney-based Chris Waller, is not making it easy for his outstanding mare, saddling five of her stablemates among the nine horses in opposition, including Qatar Bloodstock's top-class five-year-old Endless Drama. She also takes on her old rival, the Godolphin-owned Hartnell, who chased her home in the Gr. 2 Star Apollo Stakes at the same track last month he has lost out to her in five races, but is a potent force with wins at the top level.
Endless Drama ran a superb race to take third in the Apollo he was clearly held by the first two, but Waller, who knows the demands of acclimatisation for horses switched from northern to southern hemisphere racing, was very satisfied with the performance.
Tye Angland (pictured right) retains the ride in Endless Drama's saddle, and Waller says: ‚"Gate seven of ten isn't too bad a barrier, and I hope he finds his feet, relaxes and finishes off strongly. Obviously Winx is the horse they have to beat, as is Hartnell, who is a very good horse in his own right and who ran a good race behind Winx first up. The mile will suit him better. Endless Drama will be hopefully be a little closer second up and over a more suitable mile.‚"
Angland takes over from Craig Williams on Qatar Bloodstock's Arod, who runs in the $150,000 Gr.3 Liverpool City Cup (15.10 local, 04.10 UK) earlier on the same Randwick card.
Facing eight rivals he has landed a good draw in four, and Waller is hoping he will show more of the old Arod who was such a potent force when trained in Britain wins in the Diomed Stakes at Epsom, and a runner-up spot in the Gr.1 Sussex Stakes were evidence of his talents.
Unplaced last time out in the C F Orr Stakes over 1,400m, Arod will be racing over 1,300m in tomorrow's contest.
On the European scene, Qatar Racing's Global Impact makes his racing debut this afternoon at Chantilly for the stable of Henri Devin. The three-year-old son of Frankel is one of nine runners in the 1,300m race (13.20 local time, 12.20 in UK), and Pierre-Charles Boudot takes the ride.