Irish import Endless Drama could be trainer Chris Waller’s pick to go to Melbourne for the Group 1 $1.5m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 11.
Trainer Chris Waller, above, is contemplating sending Endless Drama to Melbourne for the Australian Cup at Flemington. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Waller was very impressed with Endless Drama’s first up third behind stable champ Winx and the John O’Shea trained Hartnell in the Group 2 $250,000 The Star Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Monday.
Endless Drama was having his second run for the Waller stable and it was huge improvement on his first Australian start when he failed to beat a runner home in the twelve horse field in the Group 1 $2m Emirates Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on the last day of the 2016 four day Melbourne Cup Carnival.
“We are contemplating if he is going to be our Australian Cup horse or keep him up here for the Ranvet and possibly the Doncaster,” Waller told RSN’s Racing Ahead.
“It was a great first up run from him.”
As well as being nominated for the Australian Cup, the five year old is also among the entries for the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 1 and the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 8.
A run in the Group 1 $700,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on March 18 would see Endless Drama bypass Winx who is scheduled to run in the Group 1 $1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m) that day but he would clash again with Hartnell who is also heading towards the Ranvet Stakes.
Waller will be chasing back to back wins in the Australian Cup after winning last year’s version on protest over the Leon and Troy Corstens trained Awesome Rock.
Following his pleasing first up third in the Apollo Stake, Endless Drama is now marked at $13 for the Australian Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Winx is also nominated for the Australian Cup but is very unlikely to run but has been included in the market order as the $3.20 favourite ahead of the 2016 Caulfield Cup winner Jameka at $4.40 and Hartnell, also an unlikely runner, at $6.
Former New Zealand trained Group 1 placegetter Humidor, now prepared by Darren Weir, is next in the betting at $7 ahead of his stablemate Palentino at $10.
