Waller Hoping Pressday Declares Him A Winner

Pressday

Pressday will look to return to form in the Starlight Stakes after a forgettable Autumn campaign

The Autumn season wasn’t friendly to Pressday after he finished 2010 as one of the horses to follow.

He came into the start of 2011 with many predicting him to be the star three-year-old of the season, but that quickly evaporated on the back of some poor results.

He was 8th in the Royal Sovereign Stakes, 10th in the Hobartville Stakes and only a marginally improved 5th in the Randwick Guineas.

In the winter of 2010 as a two year old Pressday was star of the Brisbane carnival, he won three from three including a Group 1 TJ Smith at Eagle Farm.

His three year old spring season was spent down in Melbourne and after a tentative start in the Coolmore Stud Stakes he bounced back to win the Sandown Guineas.

This is the type of form Chris Waller is hoping to recapture when he runs first up in the Starlight Stakes at Rosehill this Saturday.

He’s already assured a spot at stud, but just how much he’ll be worth depends on how he handles himself over the next couple of months.

“I think he is coming good and I think he will be very competitive Saturday,” Waller said.

“He has taken a little time to get right, we virtually had to clean the slate and start all over with him. Not much went right last preparation, wide barriers and wet tracks and he just wouldn’t settle.

“There looks to be good speed engaged on Saturday and that should help him relax and hit the line.

“I had high hopes for him last time in, I think he is Group class so I’d certainly like to see him be right in the mix in this Listed race.”

He faces a tough field though and one which probably deserves more than a Listed rating.

Soul and Master Of Design have been put up as the ones to beat but Group 1 winner Atomic Force is also in the field.

After finishing last season as the leading trainer Waller will be very keen to get on the board this Saturday as he’s yet to open his account in 2011/2012.

Along with Pressday he also has plenty of faith in Foreteller which will run in the Premier’s Cup Prelude on the same day.

“I hadn’t planned to back him up so soon after his last start but then there wasn’t really a suitable race for another four weeks so I decided to put him in,” Waller said.

“He will take plenty of improvement fitness wise from the last run.

“I am just not sure whether he is a horse that is looking for further or whether we freshen him up for the Epsom Handicap over a mile.

“Saturday will tell us a lot more but he is a horse with plenty of ability.”

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