Trainer Chris Waller’s strategic decision to split his talented three-year-olds, Consulate and Katoto, between states has resulted in significant success, with both horses capturing feature race victories in their respective assignments.

Katoto was withdrawn from the Sandown Guineas (1600m) on Saturday, a race that Consulate went on to win. Shortly after, Katoto herself triumphed in the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) at Newcastle.

“You know what Chris is like, he’s very meticulous and methodical with his planning,” commented Waller’s assistant trainer, Charlie Duckworth. “He’ll never lock in for one way or another. He’ll keep his options open, and it has worked out he’s ended up winning both races as a result.”

Katoto’s win in the 2026 Spring Stakes makes her the sixth filly to claim the prize in the eight runnings held since the race shifted to a November timeslot. The filly, who had been racing in Melbourne recently, demonstrated a superior turn of foot at Newcastle, coming from the second half of the field under jockey Tyler Schiller to score by a length over the favourite Kickup Rocky ($2.45). Prince Of Verona ($4.80) finished in third place.

“Whilst we did throw her in the deep end, we were confident the ability was there and she just needed conditions to suit,” Duckworth elaborated. “I said to Tyler, you’ve just got to do no work early, get her to relax and then she’ll see out the mile, and he did exactly that and she absolutely blew them away.”

Duckworth indicated that Katoto is likely to be spelled and prepared for the autumn racing season, with the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) being a potential target, contingent on her continued ability to relax in her races. “But she does need to continue to relax. She did that beautifully today, so there’s no reason she couldn’t,” he said. “In terms of building her value, you’ve got to try to get her into those Group One races and then work out where her ceiling is.”

Although Katoto showed a slight tendency to hang when hitting the front in the straight, Schiller confirmed she always had the race under control. “I thought she chimed in at the right time,” Schiller stated. “She got a little bit stargaze-y the last hundred, but for a horse who hasn’t hit the front for a while, I wasn’t too worried. She really stuck it out late.”

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