Waller lashes out at slur on Winx
Trainer calls English commentator ‘bit of a dickhead’
Chris Waller has hit back at English racing commentator Matt Chapman, who on Tuesday questioned the form of legendary Australian mare Winx.
At Tuesday morning’s Cox Plate barrier draw, ITV host Chapman mounted a case for Godolphin raider Benbatl, suggesting that the view abroad was that Winx had been beating ‘fairly moderate horses’ in Australia.
Waller, speaking on radio station SEN1116, took umbrage at the comments, suggesting they were disrespectful and labelling him a ‘bit of a dickhead’ in the process.
“I’ve taken those comments in and I was very, very surprised and disappointed to the fact that I think he’s a bit of a dickhead for saying it really,” Waller said.
“You’re in a foreign country, you [should] have a little bit of respect.
“You might go back and say it back at home, but you’re invited to be at a breakfast, sure you’ve got to speak your mind and things like that and maybe his comments were taken the wrong way, but it’s a bit harsh to say over the past four years, or three-anda-half years that she’s been winning, he’s basically saying every horse that she’s beaten is rubbish.
“Well that just puts a mockery on Australian racing, which is regarded as close to the best in the world and I’m sure our punters and followers of racing would be disgusted by those comments.
“For him to stand up and say that, it’s just utter nonsense.
“He’s just trying to make a name for himself and, maybe everybody is a bit different, but it’s pretty disappointing really.”
Winx on Saturday will shoot for a 29th-consecutive victory — and 22nd Group 1 success — when she strives for a fourth-straight Cox Plate success.
Winx is a raging $1.20 favourite in the Cox Plate market, with Benbatl, who registered a third group one success in the Caulfield Stakes on October 9, the $9 second elect.
Winx has had six starts in Melbourne for six G1 wins, while the 28 races that make up her winning streak range from the 1300m of the G2 Theo Marks Quality to the 2200m of the G1 Queensland Oaks.
“Winx does it on all tracks, she does it all distances, all types of races, from left-handed (to) right-handed, tightturning tracks, heavy tracks, firm tracks,” Waller said.
“I think the fact with Winx is that she just does it every start, whereas the so-called horses he’s claiming that are the best at the moment turn up every so often and things like that.
“I think Winx, she might not be the best on some of those horses on the best of their day, but week in, week out she’s pretty consistent.
“There’ll always be unknowns and a few doubters, but I’m pretty happy with what Winx has achieved so far.”
Meanwhile, the connections of progressive Irish raider Rostropovich have all but conceded that its Cox Plate tilt is a dress rehearsal for the Melbourne Cup (3200m), reports Racing.com.
Aidan O’Brien’s travelling foreman TJ Comerford said that while he couldn’t be happier with the Frankel colt’s condition since arriving in Australia, he would likely find a superior adversary in the form of Winx.
Rostropovich was runner-up to Latrobe in the Irish Derby (2400m) earlier this year and landed a Group 3 at Leopardstown at his final start before entering quarantine in September, and the Cup has long been mooted as his primary aim in Melbourne.
“We took Winx on before with Highland Reel and we only came out third best that day but Highland Reel was a very good horse as well,” Comerford said.
“We’re privileged to take part in the race more than anything and we’re just hoping to run well.
“His main target is the Melbourne Cup but we thought we might as well do this on the way.”
Rostropovich, who has 51kg and sits 14th in the order of entry for the Melbourne Cup, is rated a $31 outsider in the Cox Plate and a $17 prospect in the Melbourne Cup.