Blueblood Frankel colt Central Europe was Australia’s best maiden this morning and he will finish the day a Group winner after scoring a commanding victory in the $1million Group III ATC Callander Presnell (1600m) at Randwick.
Trained by Chris Waller, Central Europe showed a touch of the x-factor at two when placed behind subsequent Group I winning colts Campione D’Italia and Warwoven in key Golden Slipper lead up races the Skyline Stakes and Pago Pago Stakes.
Spelled after those two races, Central Europe returned with credible runs in two lead ups to the G1 Golden Rose before producing his worst ever run in that race when going forward from a wide gate to capitulate and finish unplaced.
Sent to Melbourne, Central Europe bounced back with a fourth in the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas to Warwoven and Blind Raise, so today’s assignment was a significant drop in class.
Central Europe enjoyed a beautiful run in transit for Jason Collett and when he let down in the straight it was game over.
He dropped his rivals cold and raced clear to win by three lengths breaking the maiden at his seventh start and taking his earnings to $833,000 and change.
CENTRAL EUROPE BREAKS HIS MAIDEN IN STYLE ?? The favourite is dominant in the Callander-Presnell! @Cwallerracing https://t.co/JfSkwed1KB
— 7HorseRacing ?? (@7horseracing) October 24, 2026
Racing luminaries Max Presnell and Ken Callander were on hand at Randwick to watch the race named in their honour.
Jason Collett had not ridden Central Europe since running second on him at his first start and was thrilled to get the talented colt into the winner’s circle.
“It’s just executing it correctly. He still did a few things wrong mid-race which Darren (Beadman) alluded too. He got to the outside of the stablemate at the 1000m and was starting to get impatient,” said Collett.
“It gave me a lot of confidence. James (McDonald) spoke to me on Wednesday about him. Even just the way Darren spoke to me about him before the race today.
“Everyone knows about the ability he has. He just needs to get it right, so this was a good stepping stone.”
Darren Beadman was glad to see talent translate into victory.
“We obviously thought a lot of the colt early days running him in the better class two-year-old races. He’s still doing a few of the little things wrong that he needed to be doing right in his early races,” he said.
“The trip down to Melbourne and running in a tough race, the Caulfield Guineas, has helped him. Today, the plan was to keep it very simple in the first half of the race. Then we had to trust his acceleration and his turn of speed.”
A $750,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Chris Waller Racing / Mulcaster Bloodstock from Coolmore, Central Europe was bred by Coolmore and they retain an interest in his ownership group.
He is a three-quarter brother to G1 placed Year of the Tiger and is the best of four winners from six foals to race from Group I winning Kodiac mare Tiggy Wiggy, who was the Champion European 2YO Filly of 2014.
Tiggy Wiggy is a half-sister to the dam of Group I winning Wootton Bassett colt Maranoa Charlie, who is now standing at Tally Ho Stud in Ireland.
Tiggy Wiggy has a yearling colt by St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) that has been retained and named Carrousel with Chris Waller to train and she has a yearling filly by Wootton Bassett (GB) to follow.
Foaled in Australia, but conceived in the UK, Central Europe is the 199th stakes-winner for champion sire Frankel.
