Chris Waller proclaimed Joliestar a perfected athlete after her win in the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) during Saturday’s Royal Randwick meeting, bringing her Group 1 count to five.
Performing at peak level, the durable mare withstood Giga Kick’s late surge to cap an unblemished three-race Sydney autumn slate, incorporating prior wins in the Expressway Stakes and Canterbury Stakes.
“Joliestar just showed the difference between her this year compared to last year,” Waller said.
“Last year she could pull out a belter of a run but wide draws and luck in running could get her beaten, too.
“But she is a more complete racehorse now and is at the very peak of her form.”
The $3.90 favourite Joliestar furnished Waller and premier jockey James McDonald with back-to-back Group 1 scores, holding Giga Kick ($4.60) at bay by half a length, Skybird ($41) third by a neck.
Waller reached 15 Group 1 winners for 2025-26, with stable earnings hitting $61.06 million – a record still growing with time left in the season.
His career Group 1 ledger shows 195 successes, inching toward 200, a mark held solely by Tommy Smith and Bart Cummings.
Waller and McDonald claimed their fourth TJ Smith Stakes, extending the legacy of Nature Strip’s three-peat from 2020-2022.
Inspired by Nature Strip’s Royal Ascot feat, Joliestar’s handlers are gearing up for abroad action.
“The dream of Royal Ascot is very exciting, and no doubt she’ll be a force to be reckoned with,” McDonald said.
“She has had her doubters before, but they have no leg to stand on now, she is a Grand Final winner.”
This season, McDonald has piloted 12 Aussie Group 1s and three major overseas wins on Romantic Warrior.
A Royal Ascot raid is confirmed by Waller for Joliestar, targeting the June 20 Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Stakes (1200m).
“I think we will probably go for the Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot,” Waller said.
“We had the trip planned well before today but we wanted to see her run well in the TJ to cement her place for England.”
Joliestar’s record: 10 triumphs in 21 goes, five Group 1s, stakes over $8.8 million.
The trainer hopes for ongoing campaigns.
“I would go to Royal Ascot and bring her back for The Everest – she has just started to mature as a racehorse,” he said.
Racing fans should visit betting sites to find racing betting markets for Joliestar at Royal Ascot.
