Trainer Chris Waller has the Group 1 Flight Stakes firmly in his sights for the well-bred filly Sing Your Song, following her impressive win in a race that has historically launched successful spring carnival campaigns.
Waller, who usually prefers not to start his horses from wide barriers, indicated that his decision to run the three-year-old from the outermost gate in Wednesday’s Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1400m) at Warwick Farm was a testament to his stable’s high regard for her abilities.
“It did, and also the way we rode her,” Waller stated. “She was a little bit slow out the other day, and we didn’t want to paint her as a horse who has to get back. I said to James (McDonald) I’d leave it to him to see how she jumped and teach her something today.”
Jockey James McDonald rode Sing Your Song ($2.60 fav) positively, settling her just off the leader and sending her to the front in the home straight. She battled strongly to fend off Waiheke Rose ($2.90) by a neck, with her stablemate Wonka ($12) securing third place another long neck behind.
Sing Your Song, a full sibling to the Group 2 victor Matias, is currently rated an $11 chance for the Flight Stakes (1600m) on October 3rd, and Waller confirmed this prestigious race is his primary target.
“I was hoping she could be a Flight Stakes filly,” he commented. “Obviously there is still a long way to go. We’ve got a little bit of time now to back off and regroup and time our run. I think she’ll be a better horse chasing eventually, but today will just wake her up a little bit.”
Remarkably, the winner’s enclosure for Wednesday’s race boasts an elite honour roll, having previously been claimed by subsequent Spring Champion Stakes winners Attica (2025) and El Castello (2024), as well as the multiple Group 1 victor Ceolwulf (2023) in recent years.
Waller acknowledged that this distinguished list of past winners was not surprising, noting that midweek three-year-old contests held just before the main carnival often serve as ideal launching pads for more significant races.
“This time of the year there are just some good horses racing,” Waller observed. “The horses racing now that have had one or two runs, they’ve been looked after at two and they’re just starting to emerge at the right time. Anything that can win midweek at the moment is worth following.”
Sing Your Song’s victory provided Waller with a training double for the day, following the earlier win of Godolphin filly Sequinned ($4) in the opening race. If you’re looking to back the next star, check out the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites.