Waller wins for Winx
FOR once there was little fanfare when Winx was involved.
Ex-pat Kiwi trainer Chris Waller wasn’t even at Rosehill to witness the race that bears the superstar’s name.
Yet victory on a low-key Saturday meeting will still rate as a memorable moment of his training career after Invinzabeel finished impressively to claim a sought after race by two lengths.
Sydney’s premier trainer was at Doomben but undoubtedly kept tabs on the Winx Hall Of Fame Handicap (1500m), an event named in recognition of the mighty mare’s induction to the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame on Wednesday.
‘‘Maybe when they were handing out the names of the races they looked through our runners first and worked out we had four live chances in this,’’ Waller’s racing manager Charlie Duckworth said.
‘‘Obviously it’s amazing to win her race.
‘‘It’s been amazing to be connected to a stable that’s got such an amazing horse.’’
Winx, who is targeting a third successive Cox Plate in October, resumes work on Monday at her regular pre-training facility.
Waller also had Liapari, So Willie and Encosta Line but it was a five-year-old gelding that might have been scratched who provided the desired result.
‘‘He’s been super,’’ Duckworth said, after Invinzabeel cleared out from fellow $12 chance Berry Delicious to notch his fifth win.
‘‘There were some doubts on his soft track form so there was a moment of doubt whether he’d run but not as much rain came as expected.’’
Duckworth was confident Invinzabeel would bounce back from a disappointing 12th in his previous start, where he was checked and blocked on the straight at Hawkesbury last month.
‘‘We were pretty confident he was in great form,’’ he said.
‘‘Once he gets to the outside of horses, when he has clear running, he’s just got a good turn of foot.’’ GETTY IMAGES