Kungfu kicks on
Waller gelding loving life in the Sunshine State
THE Chris Waller-trained Shaolin Kungfu could return to Sydney looking for redemption if he continues to shine in Queensland.
Shaolin Kungfu is starting to turn his career around after Waller sent the fouryear-old to his Gold Coast stable hoping to inject confidence into the gelding that was winless after 13 runs. He got it.
Shaolin Kungfu won a Doomben Maiden (1660m) at Doomben on October 4 with Robbie Fradd in the saddle and will line up again today in the Attwood Marshall Lawyers Class 2 (1400m) at the Gold Coast from barrier six.
“This is the whole purpose of the Gold Coast stable being open for Chris,” Waller’s Queensland foreman Paul Shailer said.
“A horse like this could gain any sort of confidence from winning one or two up here.
“Hopefully he will gain enough confidence, meet his grade and be able to go back to Sydney and be competitive in Saturday races.”
Shaolin Kungfu is a halfbrother to four-time Group 1 winner Dance Hero, Australia’s best two-year-old of the 2003-04 season.
Dance Hero won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the Golden Slipper in a career that amassed $3,940,800 in prizemoney.
Shailer said Shaolin Kungfu would be hard to beat on a soft track at the Gold Coast today.
“He is looking good,” Shailer said. “He has improved since his run at Doomben the other day.
“He is coming back from city class and the provincial class is going to be in his favour.
“His work suggests he will be very hard to beat. He has thrived in the Queensland climate, lost his woolly coat and he looks great.”
Shailer said he dropped Shaolin Kungfu back in distance for today’s race on the advice of Fradd.
“He just did a little bit too much within himself in the running last start,” Shailer said. “Hopefully he will be able to settle a lot better.
“He was just doing just a little bit too much in the running, he was pulling a little bit. Robbie said he was a little aggressive so I think coming back from a mile to 1400m he can relax a bit better.”
In-form jockey Luke Rolls has the ride on Shaolin Kungfu today.