Champion jockey James McDonald has been rewarded for his continued faith in Columbus, sticking with the horse through a couple of recent defeats to secure a midweek victory at Randwick’s Kensington track.
The Dundeel colt, who McDonald partnered to six Group 1 triumphs, was once considered a contender for the autumn classics before an injury sidelined him for the carnival. Since resuming with a win at Newcastle in July, the four-year-old has not quite met expectations, suffering defeats in two subsequent starts as the favourite.
Although his return to the winner’s circle in Wednesday’s TAB Handicap (1800m) was in midweek company, McDonald acknowledged it represented a positive step forward for the entire, trained by the esteemed Hall of Fame trainer, Les Bridge.
“I still reckon he can go better than that,” McDonald commented. “He’s just doing enough at the moment. I’m sure Les will coach the best out of him. He’s in the right hands and he’ll go through the grades. He just needs a bit of confidence. He’s a lovely type, as you can see, but there is more to give.”
The stable of Chris Waller also celebrated a success with the three-year-old colt Wonka ($4.20), a horse they believe possesses untapped potential. Wonka led home a stable trifecta in the Inglis Xtra Bonus Handicap (1550m), defeating Unhinged ($3.60 equal fav) by a length, with Cotoletta Cut ($41) a further short half-head behind in third, and True Tone finishing strongly from the rear for fourth.
Waller’s assistant trainer, Charlie Duckworth, revealed that Wonka was slated for gelding if he failed to perform, and while he has now earned a reprieve, further improvement in his racing manners is still required.
Duckworth expressed satisfaction with the decision to increase the horse’s distance, a move that had been debated following his minor placings at Warwick Farm the previous week.
“Jason (Collett) rode him seven days ago and he can be quite aggressive. He wasn’t convinced whether we actually brought him back in distance,” Duckworth explained. “But we thought stretching him out in distance might actually settle him down. He runs a little bit on fear, and if the slower tempo could allow him to see the distance out we thought that would be the path to go. It worked out well today, and he was strong through the line.”
Wonka remains nominated for both the Golden Rose (1400m) and the Caulfield Guineas (1600m). However, Duckworth cautioned that the colt still needs to overcome certain imperfections before being tested at a higher level.
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