Crowd favourite Fangirl is already a three-time Group One winner, but trainer Chris Waller believes she is only just entering her peak power period.
While capturing the Vinery Stud Stakes against her own age as a three-year-old, Fangirl spent much of her four-year-old season playing second fiddle to star colt Anamoe.
She placed behind him four times, three of those at the highest level, only claiming her first Group 1 win as an older horse in the Winx Stakes (1400m) last spring, before adding the King Charles III Stakes (1600m) two runs later.
It was Anamoe who relegated her to third in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) 12 months ago but with his retirement to stud, Fangirl gets a prime chance to add her name to the race’s honour roll at Randwick on Saturday.
“If I could say she was a little bit stronger, I think I would be pretty accurate,” Waller said.
“She is one of those late maturing horses. I think it came against her a few times as a three and four-year-old.
“As a five-year-old she is much stronger.”
Fangirl is the only mare in Saturday’s race, despite the fact it has been a happy hunting ground for them.
Six of the past 10 winners have been mares, although that statistic is slightly skewed with Winx winning the Apollo Stakes three times in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
Fangirl will be among four stable runners for Waller, who has also accepted with import Buckaroo, three-year-old Militarize and a new-look Lindermann, who has shaped well in two recent trials.
A Group 1 winner of last year’s Rosehill Guineas (2000m), Lindermann couldn’t revive that form in four spring runs and with a disappointing lack of interest from studs, the decision was made to geld him.
“It’s a shame because the breeding industry is probably funnelling in toward speed, taking away the service on middle-distance horses, and the demand for them,” Waller said.
“Hopefully it changes over time, or at least evens up a bit.”
Waller expects Buckaroo to improve on whatever he does on Saturday, nominating the Verry Ellegant Stakes (1600m), formerly the Chipping Norton Stakes, as his short-term aim, while Militarize will need to break a drought for the three-year-olds if he lines up in the Apollo.
Ha Ha in 2002 was the last of that generation to salute, although connections could still take the option to wait another week and start the colt against his own age in the Hobartville Stakes (1400m).
Waller’s team dominate early Apollo Stakes markets with Fangirl a $2.30 favourite with online bookmakers on Thursday, ahead of Militarize ($4.40), Buckaoo ($6.50) and Lindermann ($9).
Think It Over is the only other runner at single-figure odds as a $7 chance.