Dealmaker champion material

DEALMAKER has had an interrupted preparation but his trainer Chris Waller remains hopeful the talented colt can emulate his sire in the Group One Spring Champion Stakes.

The colt is a son of Dundeel, who raced in Australia as It’s A Dundeel and won the 2012 Spring Champion Stakes and claimed the Sydney triple crown for three-year-olds the following autumn.

Lightly raced Dealmaker broke his maiden at his third start in June over 1550m on the Kensington track at Randwick.

In two starts since then he has finished third in the Ming Dynasty (1400m) and a close second to Spring Champion rival Tarka in the Stan Fox Stakes (1500m). He goes into tomorrow’s Spring Champion (2000m) at Randwick with a month between runs after a slight setback.

“He’s had a chequered preparation,” Waller said.

“He had a slightly elevated temperature and went to the paddock for a few days but has since returned a normal blood profile and has trialled since.

“I don’t think 2000 metres will be a problem.”

In the Stan Fox his stablemate The Autumn Sun was a luckless third before coming out and winning the Group One Golden Rose at his next start. “That was a tough 1500 metres on a wet track so 2000 metres should be no problem,” Waller said.

With Hugh Bowman and Kerrin McEvoy at Flemington tomorrow, Waller has called on champion jockey Damien Oliver to ride Dealmaker.