Premiership winning trainer Chris Waller is expecting vast improvement from Japonisme back on a better track in the Group 2 $200,000 The Bowermans Office Furniture The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Trainer Chris Waller is expecting an improved performance from Japonisme, above, in The Shorts at Randwick. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Japonisme got bogged down with 60kg when he resumed as the $2.45 favourite on a heavy track when beaten almost seven lengths when sixth to Felines in the Group 3 $125,000 James Boag’s Premium Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick two weeks ago.
Waller said that stable could not find anything wrong with the Choisir four year old and would hope he could perform better this week.
“Nothing happened. He didn’t run fast enough,” Waller told RSN’s Racing Ahead.
“We haven’t found anything wrong with him at all.”
“I am just clinging to the fact that the heavy track with 60kg might just have been a bit tough for him.”
“He has got wet track form early on in his career when he was coming through his grades not at that high level.”
On Friday morning the Randwick track was rated a Soft 5 and with a clear forecast over the next couple of days, a good racing surface will be on the cards and Waller said that the stable would be disappointed if Japonisme put in another below par run.
“On a better track tomorrow, good gate, drops to 58kg, we would be disappointed if he wasn’t in the first three,” Waller said.
“He has been working good. No change. Even his first up run I was very confident with him going into that race.”
Japonisme earned Group 1 winning status when he scored an upset win against the three year olds in the $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington during the 2015 Melbourne Spring Carnival and has been placed at Group 1 level three times since against the older horses at weight for age.
Japonisme ran third to Chautauqua in the $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington and third to Flamberge in the $500,000 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley during the Autumn then went to Brisbane for the Winter Carnival where he ran third to Malaguerra in the $500,000 BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben.
Hugh Bowman rode Japonisme in the Concorde Stakes and sticks with him in The Shorts and he will be able to give him a good run from barrier four in the eleven horse field.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained English is resuming in The Shorts and heads the market order at $2.35 with Ladbrokes.com.au while Japonisme is rated as an $8.50 chance.
Market order for The Shorts at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.35 English, $6 Clearly Innocent, $8 Kaepernick, $8.50 Japoisme, $9 Dothraki, $10 Ball Of Muscle, $16 Takedown, $21 Boss Lane, $26 Sarjevo, $41 Howmuchdoyouloveme, $51 Smart Volatility.
