God’s Window has garnered significant early support in the all-in betting for this Saturday’s Shannon Stakes at Rosehill. However, Chris Waller, the champion trainer, would be pleased to bypass the $300,000 Group 2 race with the import, not because he doubts the gelding’s capabilities, but because he foresees a more substantial opportunity second-up.
Waller is aiming the horse at the following week’s $1.5 million Group 1 Epsom Handicap and would ideally prefer to go directly to that 1600-metre contest. The complication arises from his light weight of just 50kg and his low position in the ballot order, which means a start is not guaranteed. This could necessitate Waller chasing the ballot exemption that victory in Saturday’s 1500m event would provide.
The imported son of Dubawi competed in the Group 1 Derby (2414m) at Epsom as a three-year-old but achieved his sole Australian victory at 1600 metres, a distance Waller believes might suit him best.
“It’s funny, some of those English horses, you think they’re going to get 2000 metres,” Waller stated. “Some of them find some speed in Australia as well, and he certainly has. His best form has been over shorter.”
The six-year-old gelding resumed with a fifth-place finish in the Group 2 Theo Marks Quality (1300m), his first run since a third in the McKell Cup (2000m) on June 27. His prior two starts in Australia yielded a win and a second over the Epsom Handicap course at Randwick.
Currently a $51 outsider for the Epsom Handicap, God’s Window is one of three Shannon Stakes entries for Waller, with Ahha Ahha and Kovalica also in the mix. The favourite for the Shannon Stakes is Skyhook, trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, who made a successful first-up appearance in the Group 3 Theo Marks Quality.
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