Spring hopefuls trial on both sides of Tasman

Champion trainer Chris Waller and powerhouse operation Te Akau are hitting the groove in their spring preparations as they sent out a host of top-drawer contenders in trials held on both sides of the Tasman Sea on Tuesday.

Over in New South Wales, Waller sent out Group 1 winners Beiwacht (Bivouac), Fireball (Snitzel) and Campione D’Italia (Snitzel) in Warwick Farm’s opening 900-metre barrier trial, with the former coming home an unchallenged all-the-way winner.

Ridden by Nash Rawiller, Beiwacht, who added the All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) to his Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) success when last seen in April, defeated Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) scorer Attica (Lonhro) by 0.4 lengths in a star-studded heat.

Four-time stakes winner Angel Capital (Harry Angel) ran fifth, while Fireball and Campione D’Italia came home in sixth and seventh places respectively.

Beiwacht’s win in the All Aged Stakes was his first success in open-age company, and Waller is looking forward to a big spring with the soon-to-be four-year-old after taking over his training from outgoing Godolphin head trainer James Cummings.

“I’m looking forward to him,” an upbeat Waller said of the son of Bivouac (Exceed And Excel).

“He’s a mature colt now. He’s won a Golden Rose and we’ve worked out that he’s a good high-pressure horse over 1400 [metres].

“He’s good enough to win over 1200 [metres], I’m sure, and as a mature four-year-old, I’m excited.

“He’s beaten the older horses at three. He’s won a Golden Rose in an amazing time and with an amazing rating. He can really do it as a four-year-old.”

Meanwhile, Waller is also hoping for a big spring with Angel Capital, with the aim for the Yulong-owned colt being a precious elite-level victory to cement his place at stud.

A four-time stakes winner, including the Autumn Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) in February last year, the son of Harry Angel’s (Dark Angel) best-placed finish in Group 1 company to date is a half-length second to Jigsaw (Manhattan Rain) in March’s William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).

“This is his time,” Waller said. “I think 1400 metres is foolproof in terms of taking the way he races out of the equation where he gets back and he can still beat them over 1400.

“He’ll probably resume over 1200, but I haven’t given up on thinking about he could even go first-up in a Memsie. 

“The next few weeks will tell us a lot about our horses and where they’re resuming.”

Moving across the Tasman and Te Akau sent out a host of their top stars at Avondale, including $2.4 million earner and Group 1-bound Damask Rose (Savabeel).

A rising five-year-old, Damask Rose was ridden by Michael McNab and finished fifth under a soft hold.

A first-up run in next month’s Foxbridge Plate (Gr 2, 1200m) looks likely as the mare bids to gain her place in the Proisir Plate (Gr 1, 1400m) at Ellerslie a fortnight later.

“Damask Rose had a really quiet trial, it was just a nice day out for her,” Sam Bergerson, who trains in partnership with Mark Walker, said. “She has had a good build-up heading into the spring and it’s fantastic to see her back here in New Zealand.

“She will hopefully trial in that Group and Listed trial on the 8th [of August at Te Rapa] and potentially kick-off in the Foxbridge.

“Just the way that first Group 1 works at Ellerslie, and the eligibility criteria, she is actually quite low in the order because she is a two-time Restricted Listed winner but hasn’t actually won a Group race. If it was done on ratings, she would breeze in, but she might have to run in the Foxbridge, and run well there, to even make the field.

“We will play it by ear, but we will give her a bit more of a test at Te Rapa on the 8th and go from there.”

The daughter of Savabeel (Zabeel) had nine starts in Australia this season, placing in the Matron Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m), Mannerism Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m), and Bellmaine Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) having taken out the inaugural running of the NZB Kiwi (Listed, 1500m) in March, 2025.

“Unfortunately, she didn’t have the rub of the green in a lot of her starts,” Bergerson said.

“There is no hiding over there, you need everything to go your way, and unfortunately for her it didn’t. But we know on her day she is class, so fingers crossed we can get her back to some really good form.

“We have given her a really good break back here in New Zealand.”

La Dorada (Super Seth), a Group 1 winner as a juvenile, was also given a quiet trial over 1000 metres to run fifth behind Media World (Written Tycoon) and the aim will be to get her rating up through next season.

“She had a good break post the Kiwi,” Bergerson said. “She is not overly big, but she seems to have filled out and strengthened up a bit, and there is plenty to work with. She has got a fantastic, gritty aptitude for racing.

“She is still quite lowly rated at 80, and we may miss the big guns early and utilise her handicap. We will certainly be guided by her in the coming weeks in how she trials up.

“With both of those mares, we have still got the blinkers up our sleeve, which they both race in. I think when those go on and they get to raceday, they are quite intelligent and they know what they are there for.”

Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) gelding Kinnaird won his heat over 800 metres, with the juvenile Group 2 scorer coming home strongly late on under Craig Grylls to beat Deema Tina Magic (Redwood) by a head.

Kinnaird made the perfect start to his career when winning on debut at Otaki last November before he won the Eclipse Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. He would then go on to run last in both the Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m) and Matama Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m), and the decision was made to geld him.

“He seems to be coming up well, he has had a really good break post his last effort at Matamata,” Bergerson said. 

“He is a gelding now, which seems to hopefully be the key to him. He had his mind on other things towards the end of his two-year-old campaign, and it was good to see him round that off [in the trial today].

“He will trial again and he is one potentially for the Northland Breeders’. There is obviously Taupo as a back-up as well, but he has grown into himself now and is coming up well.

“July is a pretty quiet month for us, but we have got a nice team for the spring that is slowly building up, and it was good to see a few of them out and about today.”