The powerful Chris Waller stable dominates the nominations for the 2015 Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on October 3.

Royal Descent is among Chris Waller’s seventeen nominations for The Metropolitan at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

Waller trained horses number seventeen among the total of ninety-two gallopers nominated for the feature staying race of the Sydney Spring Carnival.

Last Saturday’s Group 2 Warwick Stakes winner Royal Descent heads Waller’s list which in littered with Group 1 winners – Beaten Up,  Foreteller, Grand Marshall, Hawkspur, Moriarty, Opinion, Preferment and Who Shot Thebarman as well as Beyond Thankful, Dance Of Heroes, Junoob, Loving Home, Silverball, Soviet Courage, Sir Mako and Weary.

Royal Descent was back in the winner’s stall in the Group 2 $250,000 Pro-Ride Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick for the first time since winning the Group 1 $550,000 Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick during the 2013 Sydney Autumn Carnival.

Royal Descent’s first up winning performance indicated that there are more Spring Carnival wins in stall according to Waller.

“She is just a class act and she is in for a good prep,” Waller said

“You wouldn’t get a horse that tries harder than her and she has just been gallant in so many big races, almost breaking weight-carrying records in Epsoms and things like that.”

“She is a superstar.

“It is the best she has come back in terms of the way she looks and she has trialed well.

Doomben Cup winner Beaten Up also put in a top class effort at big odds when he ran home late to grab fourth spot in front of the more fancied stablemate Kermadec.

Former Kiwi Who Shot Thebarman will be well suited by the 2400m of The Metropolitan and has showed his staying potential in the past with a win in the 2014 Group 1 NZ$500,000  Barefoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie.

The eight year also ran third to Protectionist in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington during last year’s Spring Carnival as well as running second to stablemate Grand Marshall in the during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Carnival.

Gai Waterhouse has nominated six stayers in an attempt to win her eighth Metropolitan since taking out her first with Te Akau Nick in 1992.

2014 Sydney Cup winner The Offer is among her nominations and the Irish import was back in the winner’s stall with a comfortable first up win in the Listed $100,000 XXXX Gold Hawkesbury Rowley Mile (1600m) at Hawkesbury on August 20.

Waterhouse’s other Metropolitan nominations are Bohemian Lily, Bonfire, Café Society, King Kinshasa and Zee Zeely.

Irish import Dibayani indicated that he is in for a good Spring campaign with an eye catching third to Mourinho in the Group 2 $200,000 Back To Caulfield P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 15 and heads the eight nominations from the Lindsay Park Team of David Hayes and Tom Dabernig.

Other Lindsay Park nominations are French import Almoonqith, English imports Bold Snipper, Pacific Heights, Velox and Epsom Hill as well as Gerontius and Purple Smile.

Godolphin is also well represented with the John O’Shea trained The BMW winner Hartnell and Spring Champion Stakes winner Complacent as well as European imports Havana Cooler, Magic Hurricane and Australian Derby runner up Hauraki.

Weights for The Metropolitan will be released on September 24 with the final field to be declared on Tuesday, September 29, 2015.

2015 The Metropolitan Handicap Nominations

Randwick Racecourse – 03/10/2015