Storm The Stars to make Australian debut

Sunday 21 February 2016, 5:40pm

High-profile European horse Storm The Stars will make his Australian debut in the Chipping Norton Stakes but will find himself overshadowed by stablemate Winx and Caulfield Cup winner Mongolian Khan.

Storm The Stars ran third in last year's English Derby won by Golden Horn and second to Jack Hobbs in the Irish equivalent.

The four-year-old has loped along at the back of the field in two barrier trials and had a work-out between races at Rosehill on Saturday, failing to catch his Chris Waller-trained stablemate Weary.

"He is a lovely strong horse but I don't think we'll see the best of him until he gets to 2000 and 2400 metres," Waller said.

"He needs to start somewhere and after the Chipping Norton he will go to the Ranvet Stakes over 2000 metres."

Waller will also have Group One-winning stayers Who Shot Thebarman, Grand Marshal and Preferment in the Chipping Norton (1600m) which he has won four times in the past five years.

But it will be Winx who takes the spotlight with the Cox Plate winner having her second start for the campaign.

She cruised to victory in the Group Two Apollo Stakes (1400m).

"She has done well since the Apollo," Waller said.

"She is a class horse. The Chipping Norton is a Group One and I expect her to live up to expectations.

"After the Chipping Norton we'll decide where she goes. The weights for the Doncaster are out on Monday so we'll see what she gets there.

"There are options for her leading to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes which is her main aim."

Mongolian Khan will be having his first start since the Caulfield Cup after recovering from colic which forced him out of the Melbourne Cup.

The Chipping Norton Stakes is being run at Randwick instead of its traditional home, Warwick Farm, with construction at that track ruling it out for a feature meeting.

The weight-for-age Chipping Norton is the first Group One race of the Sydney autumn carnival.

– AAP

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