Chris Waller is sticking to his theory that Stryker will prove a better horse ridden off the speed and hopes the colt finally gets a chance to prove it in the $1 million Golden Rose.At his first two starts this preparation, Stryker was left to assume the role of pacemaker and was run down in both of them, finishing second to Rothesay first-up before filling the same placing behind that colt's Gerald Ryan-trained stablemate Hus Der Lieften at his next appearance.Waller hoped it might be a case of
Chris Waller is sticking to his theory that Stryker will prove a better horse ridden off the speed and hopes the colt finally gets a chance to prove it in the $1 million Golden Rose.
At his first two starts this preparation, Stryker was left to assume the role of pacemaker and was run down in both of them, finishing second to Rothesay first-up before filling the same placing behind that colt's Gerald Ryan-trained stablemate Hus Der Lieften at his next appearance.
Waller hoped it might be a case of third time lucky in the Run To The Rose but while Stryker got the chance to find his feet early he ran into dead-ends in the straight, eventually finishing eighth to Golden Rose favourite Denman.
"We decided to ride him back last start and through no-one's fault he got into a lot of trouble and never got into clear running at all," Waller said.
"He went to the line without being tested and (jockey) Jimmy Cassidy got off and said he went well but just had no luck.
"It was a day that nothing really fanned wide and everybody was going for the same gaps and didn't have much luck."
It has been a frustrating campaign but Waller hasn't given up on Stryker just yet.
Cassidy has stuck with the three-year-old and despite his good draw in barrier two, Waller says his instructions will again be to find a trail.
"He's proven he can't win these big races from in front so we're more than happy to take a sit," Waller said.
"We can be the horse running home rather than being run home over the top of."
Waller has firmly established his place among the top trainers in recent seasons and it is testament to his hard work that he will be the only one with two runners in the richest race of the Sydney spring carnival at Rosehill on Saturday.
Along with Stryker he will start tough colt Shellscrape who backs up from his game second to Rarefied in the Up And Coming Stakes (1200m) at Randwick last Saturday when he led and was mowed down in the final bounds.
The ultra-consistent three-year-old has missed a place just once in 11 starts and is a Listed winner over the 1400-metre Golden Rose journey.
While Shellscrape made the pace in the Up And Coming, Waller doesn't want him to fill the same role on Saturday.
"I think it would be hard to lead and win a Golden Rose so we'll be hoping we don't have to do that," Waller said.
"You can't do it at both ends and in his race last start I felt he was just taken on and softened up and these good horses run over the top of you pretty quick if you've spent the petrol."
Shellscrape will be ridden by Hugh Bowman who will be chasing his fourth victory in the Golden Rose.
Bowman won the first two runnings aboard In Top Swing (2003) and Doonan (2004) before making it a treble on Duporth last spring.