Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller has touted Riva De Lago a lightweight Star Epsom chance after winning the Group 2 $200,000 Sebring Sprint (1400m) at Rosehill today.

Riva De Lago and Jim Cassidy take out the Sebring Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.

In form jockey Jim Cassidy brought Riva De Lago from well back in the field to run over top of the leaders to score by two and a half lengths from Queenslander Solzhenitsyn ($5.50) and Your Honour ($11).

“He’s is nominated for the Epsom and on the way he raced today he will get a mile, if not he will run a very good race just the same,” Waller said.

“He won a Group 2 and deserves a chance at a handicap Group 1.”

The first surprise of the race was that $2.60 favourite Rain Affair was unable to dominated the pace as he usually does and only held a small lead on the home turn after Solzhenitsyn put pressure on from a long way out.

Rain Affair tried to put up his usual fight but faded at the 100m to miss a place and the hard run in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes two weeks ago took its toll.

Cassidy is also confident that Riva De Lago will run out the 1600m and put his hand up for the ride in the Group 1 $500,000 The Star Epsom (1600m) at Randwick on October 5.

“I trialled him a month ago at Warwick Farm and I said to Chris then that he feels like a miler. I wouldn’t be frightened to ride him in the Epsom with no weight,” Cassidy said.