Jade Marauder to give Waller another first

By LRN Staff

Chris Waller has carved a niche training stayers but on Saturday at Rosehill he will turn his hand towards winning the richest two-year-old race in the world.Waller will have his first Golden Slipper (1200m) runner when Jade Marauder lines up in the $3.5 million showpiece.The filly is raced by the Ingham family whose support of Waller has helped propel him to the top of the Sydney trainers' premiership."It would mean a lot to me to win a race like this for the Inghams," Waller said."They've conc

Chris Waller has carved a niche training stayers but on Saturday at Rosehill he will turn his hand towards winning the richest two-year-old race in the world.

Waller will have his first Golden Slipper (1200m) runner when Jade Marauder lines up in the $3.5 million showpiece.

The filly is raced by the Ingham family whose support of Waller has helped propel him to the top of the Sydney trainers' premiership.

"It would mean a lot to me to win a race like this for the Inghams," Waller said.

"They've concentrated on the shorter races and done very well in the past and it would be nice to be part of their history."

Waller almost got his first taste of the Slipper last year when Fast And Sexy was scratched at the barriers along with the Anthony Cummings-trained Smart Missile.

She was to have jumped from gate 16, the same gate Jade Marauder has drawn.

"I was actually watching the race next to Anthony Cummings," Waller said.

"His horse was scratched and everyone thought `holy hell'. I felt for Anthony because his horse was one of the favourites and a colt.

"I was in shock myself so I didn't really get a chance to think about what had happened.

"But you know, 40 minutes later Rangirangdoo came out after being injured and won the George Ryder.

"That's the leveller that is racing. It's an amazing sport. You're up one minute and down the next and up again."

Jade Marauder's path to the Golden Slipper began before she had even joined Waller's stable.

The daughter of top sire Fastnet Rock was bought for $500,000 at the Easter sale with races like the Slipper in mind.

"This time last year we headed to the Easter sales and we were headed towards this race before we even laid eyes on her," Waller said.

"The next step was an early two-year-old trial and she went OK in that so she ran in the Gimcrack.

"Running in those early races gives you so much more advantage than the ones trying to qualify late.

"It's a good lesson to learn for the future."