Group 1 winning mares Egg Tart and Foxplay are among premier trainer Chris Waller’s thirteen entries of the eighty-nine nominations for the Group 1 $1m Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on September 30.

Foxplay, above, is one of thirteen Chris Waller trained horses nominated for the 2017 Epsom Handicap. Photo by Steve Hart.

Foxplay, above, is one of thirteen Chris Waller trained horses nominated for the 2017 Epsom Handicap. Photo by Steve Hart.

Dual Oaks winner Egg Tart will kick off her Epsom Handicap campaign in the Group 2 $200,000 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday with Foxplay also scheduled to go around.

Foxplay will have a fitness edge on her stablemate after finishing a game second to super star Winx in the Group 2 $250,000 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 19.

Among Waller’s other Epsom Handicap nominations are the well performed Comin’ Through, Dawn Wall, Good Prospect, Omei Sword and Tom Melbourne.

The in-form Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dadernig have last Saturday’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes winner Vega Magic heading their huge team of twenty-two nominations for the Epsom Handicap.

Vega Magic scored his second Group 1 victory with an all the way win in the $1m New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield and David Hayes indicated that the former Perth trained five year old would be freshened up for the $10m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 14.

Newmarket Handicap winner Redkirik Warrior is another one of the Linsday Park nominations that will probably head towards The Everest.

Victoria’s premier trainer Darren Weir also has a strong contingent of ten nominations for the Epsom Handicap headed up with multiple Group 1 winner Black Heart Bart, Brave Smash, Gailo Chop, Humidor and Tosen Stardom.

Rosehill trainer Gerald Ryan nearly pulled off the upset of the Spring Carnival last Saturday with Red Excitement who is one of four horses from the stable nominated for the Epsom Handicap along with Deploy, Washington Heights and Trapeze Artist.

Daring front running tactics from Josh Parr on Red Excitement had champion mare Winx in trouble in the Group 2 $250,000 Tattersalls Club Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick last Saturday, but Hugh Bowman was able to rally The Queen Of The Turf who lifted in the straight to run down the leader to score a comfortable one length win in the end.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott training partnership have one nominations for the 2017 Epsom Handicap, the front running Ecuador who was runner up to Winx in the 2015 Epsom.

Newcastle trainer Kris Lees has nominate his high profile stable stars Le Romain, Sense Of Occasion and Invincible Gem while Australian Guineas winner Hey Doc is trainer Tony McEvoy’s only entry.

Nominations for the 2017 Epsom Handicap (1600m)

# Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 121 ADDICTIVE NATURE C 3 Bjorn Baker 77
2 468×650220 AMOVATIO G 7 Chris Waller –
3 112 ASSIMILATE C 3 Peter & Paul Snowden 75
4 x211x75x32 BLACK HEART BART G 7 Darren Weir –
5 11x11130x1 BONNY O’REILLY (NZ) M 5 Bjorn Baker 102
6 11516510×3 BOOM TIME H 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
7 x280x344x2 BRAVE SMASH (JPN) H 5 Darren Weir –
8 6×15161112 CANNYESCENT G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 96
9 121612×972 CHOCOLATE HOLIC G 5 Darren Weir –
10 121x5338x1 COMIN’ THROUGH H 4 Chris Waller 95
11 65225223×5 COOL CHAP G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
12 5111619×2 DAWN WALL M 4 Chris Waller 90
13 x1111x2141 DEPLOY G 5 Gerald Ryan 100
14 x23292490x DIBAYANI (IRE) G 8 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 103
15 4x156x199x DOUBLE DREAM (FR) M 5 Kris Lees 85
16 15×21 DRACARYS C 3 Peter & Paul Snowden 78
17 x113380x34 ECUADOR (NZ) G 8 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 110
18 431x11111x EGG TART M 4 Chris Waller 104
19 12210×6791 EMBLEY G 6 Bjorn Baker 86
20 10x20407x2 EURO ANGEL (NZ) M 5 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 101
21 14x24141x2 FOXPLAY M 4 Chris Waller 112
22 x181x37x01 GAILO CHOP (FR) G 7 Darren Weir –
23 214×8 GAUGUIN (NZ) G 4 John Sargent 68
24 11x16515x GHISONI M 5 James Cummings 103
25 77x0472x5x GOOD PROJECT H 6 Chris Waller 105
26 7121175×31 GRANDE ROSSO G 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
27 469x2125x1 HAPPY CLAPPER G 7 Patrick Webster 113
28 6333x6759x HAPPY HANNAH M 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 92
29 670x6713x7 HARDHAM H 4 David Brideoake
30 3590x160x6 HE OR SHE G 7 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
31 1670x910x5 HEAVENS ABOVE M 6 Tim Martin 108
32 23×0653111 HELL OR HIGHWATER M 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
33 110x8747x4 HE’S OUR ROKKII (NZ) G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 107
34 4x31196x14 HEY DOC G 4 Tony McEvoy –
35 9x42212x68 HUMIDOR (NZ) G 5 Darren Weir –
36 x271183x47 I AM A STAR (NZ) M 4 Shane Nichols –
37 136x621x32 IMPOSING LASS (NZ) M 5 Bjorn Baker –
38 433x5126x6 INFERENCE H 4 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 100
39 4x251212x6 INVADER C 3 Peter & Paul Snowden 95
40 1541112×13 INVINCIBLE GEM M 4 Kris Lees 108
41 x028940534 JACQUINOT BAY G 10 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
42 1113x256x6 JENNIFER LYNN M 4 Darren Weir –
43 13×3301712 KINGSGUARD (NZ) G 5 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 89
44 1x11202x25 LE ROMAIN G 5 Kris Lees –
45 841x122x25 LIFE LESS ORDINARY (IRE) G 6 Chris Waller 92
46 1228x4x90x LIZARD ISLAND G 5 Pat Hyland –
47 1x55250x11 LUBITON M 4 Bjorn Baker –
48 x13540x0x6 MACKINTOSH (NZ) G 5 Chris Waller 103
49 9028x337x7 MAURUS (GB) G 7 John P Thompson 101
50 2x156495x8 MCCREERY (GB) G 6 Chris Waller 106
51 138×000972 MIHANY G 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
52 8x1130109x MONGOLIAN WOLF G 4 Darren Weir –
53 01x1118x5 MY NORDIC HERO (GB) G 6 Chris Waller 90
54 111x62745x NEW TIPPERARY G 5 Joseph Pride 94
55 2x53526x42 NO DOUBT H 5 Anthony & Edward Cummings 87
56 29x12x27x5 OMEI SWORD M 4 Chris Waller 99
57 73×6832198 PETROLOGY G 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
58 21x11x661x RADIPOLE (IRE) G 5 Michael Moroney –
59 114x4197x8 RAW IMPULSE (GB) H 6 Darren Weir –
60 1x76x0101x RED BOMBER G 7 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
61 3311255×42 RED EXCITEMENT G 8 Gerald Ryan 110
62 x5x21x105x REDKIRK WARRIOR (GB) G 7 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 109
63 45×9137511 RHYTHM TO SPARE (NZ) G 8 Michael Moroney –
64 11x1380x00 RISQUE (NZ) M 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
65 518437×443 ROCKET COMMANDER M 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 94
66 41231x2x2 SAMOVARE M 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
67 1x6321220x SAVILE ROW (NZ) H 4 Michael Moroney –
68 65x714538x SCREAMARR G 4 Anthony & Edward Cummings 70
69 4282x060x0 SEABURGE H 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
70 x12x3361x8 SENSE OF OCCASION G 7 Kris Lees 113
71 11x32386x9 SKYLIGHT GLOW M 4 Kris Lees 80
72 x114173x54 SNITZSON H 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
73 44x4030x22 SO SI BON H 4 Robbie Laing –
74 480x35011x SOUND PROPOSITION (NZ) G 6 Kris Lees 107
75 23276×1531 SOVEREIGN NATION G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
76 72×3211111 SPECIAL MISSILE G 4 John P Thompson 88
77 433x1106x7 SPECTROSCOPE (USA) H 5 James Cummings 100
78 3x75430x46 TAHANEE (ARG) M 5 Darren Weir –
79 44943×1980 TASHBEEH H 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
80 04x234161x THE MISSION C 3 Paul Perry 95
81 x66x147629 THE VIRGINIAN G 5 Brett Cavanough 97
82 0x41212x22 THEANSWERMYFRIEND G 4 Robert Smerdon –
83 23x6905x22 TOM MELBOURNE (IRE) G 7 Chris Waller 103
84 09x4x22x53 TOSEN STARDOM (JPN) H 7 Darren Weir –
85 14163×6 TRAPEZE ARTIST C 3 Gerald Ryan 84
86 x9171x1x11 VEGA MAGIC G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
87 x4883230x7 VELADERO G 4 Chris Waller 84
88 7x1215x141 WASHINGTON HEIGHTS G 6 Gerald Ryan 96
89 60x2612x70 ZANBAGH M 7 John P Thompson 107

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.