Ranvet a formidable test for Waller's team

Thursday 20 March 2014, 4:01pm

Chris Waller insists he will present three horses at the peak of their powers in the Ranvet Stakes but knows his efforts might not be enough to win the race for a second time.

Waller will run last year's winner Foreteller, as well as Hawkspur and Moriarty in a weight-for-age race at Rosehill on Saturday expected to be dominated by two glamour horses of Australian racing.

Fiorente and It's A Dundeel have a stranglehold on Ranvet betting and Waller can't argue with the consensus his trio will find it difficult to cause one of the first real upsets of the Sydney autumn carnival.

That's because as a trainer with a formidable strike-rate with imports, he appreciates what a horse like Fiorente has brought to the Australian racing landscape since coming from England in 2012.

"He is close to the best certainly to come out over the past five years or so," Waller said.

"He's sound, a foolproof horse. There could have been horses come here with more ability but he is sound and he is the real deal."

Waller says Foreteller is an advertisement for honesty in a racehorse but concedes the two favourites have had his measure.

"He's just your benchmark of honest horses, he'll keep your It's A Dundeels and your Fiorentes honest but whether he can beat them is another thing," Waller said.

"But he is a horse we are very proud of. He's won two Group One races but we would be the first to admit he is about a length off being a really good horse."

Waller thinks the 2013 Queensland Derby winner Hawkspur is coming right and a Rosehill surface with some give in it will boost his chances.

"I think Hawkspur is back in form and he will appreciate the 2000 metres and any cut in the ground will give him his chance to level up against probably some better horses on form," he said.

Moriarty is the outsider of Waller's runners but the trainer can't fault the stayer's commitment in three autumn runs.

– AAP

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