Chris Waller has raised the bar yet again, setting a new benchmark for Group One wins in a season after Joliestar surged late to claim the Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm.
The thrilling win by Joliestar marked Waller’s 19th Group 1 triumph this season, surpassing his previous best of 18 during the 2018-19 campaign—a record that was significantly bolstered at the time by the legendary Winx’s seven victories.
This season, Waller’s elite tally has been heavily supported by the brilliant Via Sistina, who contributed seven of those Group 1 wins. But on Saturday, it was Joliestar who took centre stage.
Sent out as the $2.40 favourite with online bookmakers, Joliestar was positioned worse than midfield and appeared in trouble as Zarastro and Golden Mile opened up a gap on the field turning for home. Even jockey James McDonald had his doubts.
“There was not one stage where I thought she was going to win the race,” McDonald said.
“Then she put in this humungous dive with two strides to go and I thought, I’m a little chance here and I looked up and saw the camera man. She is a super mare.”
Joliestar now boasts a record of six wins from 15 starts, though Waller believes her form would read even better if luck had been on her side more often.
Waller indicated a return to the $20 million Everest is firmly on the table, after the mare stormed home in last year’s edition from near the rear of the field.
“It was a mission that we missed out on last spring so we will have a chat about it,” Waller said.
“She is a lovely horse. She’s got a great record. She did it at three, she has won a Newmarket and had a lot of bad luck along the way.
“She is a pleasure to be training. The stable at the Gold Coast call her ‘the Queen’ so we will run with that. She is the Queen of Queensland today, anyway.”
In a tight finish, Joliestar ($2.40 fav) grabbed Zarastro ($17) and Golden Mile ($26), with Giga Kick ($3.80) finishing sixth after settling too far back.
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