Leading trainer Chris Waller is further enhancing his Golden Slipper contenders after unleashing unbeaten juvenile Fireball for a sharp first-up triumph in the $2 million Inglis Millennium at Randwick.
Resuming following a break after his winning debut at Rosehill in November, the James Harron-owned colt and $4.60 favourite swept down the outer track to edge out Ghana’s Akan ($17) by a half-length, with Alibaba ($26) just a head behind in third position.
Waller noted that the standout aspect of the Saturday success was Fireball achieving it through sheer talent, with greater performances still to come.
“He will get stronger, and he’ll get faster. He’s got the frame, he is well bred,” Waller said of the son of Snitzel.
“He hasn’t been wound up to get to today. He wasn’t even going to run unless he drew a nice barrier. I was more than happy to wait and just bide our time.”
The trainer also possesses Canonbury Stakes winner Hidrix heading toward the $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m), and as that colt eyes the Silver Slipper (1100m) on February 21, Waller aims to avoid clashing the two colts.
He intends to source a different preparatory race for Fireball, a horse he considers capable of emerging as a strong challenge in the juvenile feature.
“We’re starting to work them out, which is good,” Waller said.
“The Silver Slipper is in two weeks and we’re in no rush. We got a few colts we can now sit back and split up a little bit and 1200 metres, I think will suit him better, so one of those (1200 metre) ones coming up.”
Rider James McDonald commended Waller and his crew for trusting Fireball, whom he suspected might buckle under the demands of a crowded field in the Inglis Millennium (1100m).
“I’ve been saying all week to Chris that the colt is a bit of a ‘dummy’ and I wasn’t sure if he was ready for a test like this,” McDonald said.
“But great credit to Chris, he had faith in the colt and said, ‘he is a very nice horse, as you will see when he is put under pressure’.”
“He was put under pressure today and we saw how well he responded.”
Craig Newitt expressed delight at the run from Blue Diamond Preview victor Alibaba, who was appearing in Sydney for the first time and closed off powerfully.
“He was unbelievable. On his Melbourne leg the whole race,” Newitt said.
“We were strung up in traffic, and he smashed the line. He’s a genuine Group One colt. Fans keen on the Inglis Millennium form can explore options at leading Australian betting sites.
The post Fireball explodes to win Inglis Millennium first appeared on Just Horse Racing.