Paret stamps Epsom Handicap claims

Saturday 11 August 2018, 5:37pm

Premier Sydney trainer Chris Waller has had to wait until the last race at Rosehill to welcome a winner with a horse he believes can step up to Group One company.

Paret lived up to his $2.70 favouritism to win Saturday's benchmark 81 handicap over 1350m and stamp himself as a contender for the Epsom Handicap on September 29.

Waller likened the four-year-old to 2013 Epsom winner Boban and said he hoped he could go just as far after he swept down the middle of the track to beat Gitan ($14) by 1-3/4 lengths.

"The Epsom is the target," Waller said.

"We have been concentrating on getting him to settle and he did that today.

"We'll look at the Bill Ritchie for him now, which is the same race Boban won before the Epsom.

"They are similar types of horses."

Paret was ridden by Hugh Bowman, who recommended he run in the 1350m race rather than another over 1500m on Saturday.

"I don't usually get asked my opinion but I suggested the shorter race to try to get him to settle," he said.

"He did that today and he is ready to step up.

"The first time I rode him in a barrier trial he was wrapped up more than Christmas but he's fine now."

The Group Three Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) is at Randwick on September 15, two weeks before the Epsom.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »