Waterford (IRE)
Waterford (IRE)
3 c Awtaad – Wake Up by Soldier Of Fortune
O: Mr R C Callander, Mr S Saric, Mrs J C Saric, Mr D M Ackery, Mrs K Ackery, Whitby Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Mr A Stephenson, Mr F W Cook, Mrs C M Cook, Werrett Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Mr P J Gray, Mr P Webster, Mr B E Fletcher, Mr A M Muollo, Mr B M Farrell, Mr S M Filipek, Mrs M F Dwyer, Mr D D Dwyer, Mr D M Kennedy, Mr B A Rutter
B: Derrinstown Stud
T: Chris Waller
W: Tab Maiden Plate (1300m), Warwick Farm, March 23
Champion trainer Chris Waller looks to have another exciting UK import in his stable as Waterford (Awtaad) showed an impressive turn of foot to make a winning Australian debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
The Waller team sent out no less than four runners in the Tab Maiden Plate over 1300 metres and duly ended up with the trifecta as the three-year-old beat stablemates Headliner (Star Turn) and Naval Seal (Snitzel) under Tommy Berry.
Kept towards the rear of the field early by jockey Tommy Berry, Waterford was second-last rounding the home turn before being unleashed to hit the front at the 100-metre mark and, despite showing signs of greenness, quickened clear to win by three lengths at the line.
A son of Awtaad (Cape Cross), who also sired another winner on the day, Waterford had already finished third behind Bayside Boy (New Bay) in a Newmarket maiden when trained by Tom Ward, with the winner going on to claim the Champagne Stakes (Gr 2, 7f) at Doncaster just two starts later.
The colt runs for a syndicate headed by commentator Richard Callander and is a half-brother to fellow import and smart four year-old Wicklow (Twilight Son), who won his first three starts in Australia for Waller last year, scoring at Kembla Grange and twice at Rosehill.
Waterford is from the second crop of the Shadwell Stud-bred and raced Group 1-winning miler Awtaad, a son of Cape Cross (Green Desert) who stands at Derrinstown Stud in Ireland for a fee of €5,000 (approx. AU$7,330), and now has two winners from two runners in Australia.
Although winning over the 1300-metre trip here, Waterford has a strong staying pedigree that suggests he will only improve when tackling longer distances in the future.
He is the second winner from the Soldier Of Fortune (Galileo) mare Wake Up, a German bred that won over 2300 metres and is herself a half-sister to staying stakes winners Wild King (Samum) and Path Wind (Anabaa).
His third dam Wild Romance (Alkalde) was the Champion German 2YO Filly in 1993 and produced three Group winners herself; Win For Us (Surumu), Wild Side (Sternkoenig) and White Rose (Platini).