Chris Waller has cooled speculation around Aeliana’s Caulfield Cup tilt, despite the mare topping early betting markets for the $5 million feature.
The Derby-winning four-year-old will be nominated for the Caulfield Cup, but Waller says it’s “unlikely” she’ll contest the 2400m classic.
“I don’t normally push our four-year-old fillies, as I call them, to a Caulfield Cup,” Waller said.
Aeliana surged to $8 favouritism after her dominant win in the ATC Australian Derby, but Waller has rarely run mares of her age in the race.
His only previous four-year-old Caulfield Cup mares include Charms Star, Toffee Tongue, Youngstar and Royal Descent.
Meanwhile, Aeliana is also an $11 chance in the Cox Plate, a race headed by stablemate Via Sistina.
She joins a star-studded Waller cast set for Tuesday’s nominations, including Fangirl, Buckaroo, and Lady Shenandoah.
Due to heavy rain, Randwick’s trials have been moved to Thursday, featuring top-line gallopers such as Aeliana, Via Sistina, Linebacker, and Jimmysstar.