Champion trainer Chris Waller sent out four runners in the 1300m 3YO maiden at Warwick Farm on Wednesday and duly got the trifecta with victory going to an interesting horse that is a Northern Hemisphere bred three year-old whose third birthday is today.
Waterford had started once previously last year in the UK finishing third in a 7f race at Newbury in July, so punters had little clue what to expect with no barrier trial form since his arrival in Australia.
A closer look at that UK run for Waterford reveals the horse that won that race - Bayside Boy – then won the Group II Champagne Stakes at Doncaster two runs later and subsequently placed in Group I races at his last two starts for 2021.
Given that class indication, Waterford should have been more than capable of making his presence felt at Warwick Farm and so it proved to be.
He zoomed clear for Tommy Berry to win by three lengths over race favourite Headliner with 2020 Inglis Easter sale-topper Naval Seal in third place.
Waterford runs for a syndicate of Waller stable clients headed by Richard Callander and is a half-brother to smart four year-old Wicklow (IRE), who won his first three starts in Australia for Waller last year, scoring at Kembla and twice at Rosehill.
Waterford is from the second crop of Shadwell Stud bred and raced Group I winning miler Awtaad, a son of Cape Cross that stands at Derrinstown Stud in Ireland at a fee of 5,000 euros.
From limited numbers Awtaad has done a pretty promising job siring six stakes-winners from 101 runners headed by Group III winner Creative Belief.
Waterford has stout staying blood on his dam’s side being the second winner from Wake Up, a German bred winner at 2300m that is a half-sister to a pair of staying stakes-winners in Wild King and Path Wind.
Third dam Wild Romance as the Champion German 2YO Filly of 1993 and left three German Group winners, whose descendants cover the page with Black Type.
We predict Waterford will be winning many more races.
Footnote: Awtaad later sired another winner at Warwick Farm with the John O’Shea trained four year-old Diamil (IRE) opening his account in Australia with a two and a half length win in the Benchmark 78 event over 1600m.
Awtaad has now had two runners in Australia and both are winners!
