The prestigious Group 1 Flight Stakes is firmly on the agenda for the promising filly Sing Your Song, trained by Chris Waller, after she delivered a classy performance to win a race that has frequently been a springboard for spring carnival success.
Waller, who typically avoids starting his horses from outside gates, revealed that his decision to have the three-year-old race from the widest draw in Wednesday’s Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1400m) at Warwick Farm was a reflection of the stable’s confidence in her considerable talent.
“It did, and also the way we rode her,” Waller stated. “She was a little bit slow out the other day, and we didn’t want to paint her as a horse who has to get back. I said to James (McDonald) I’d leave it to him to see how she jumped and teach her something today.”
James McDonald adopted a forward position on Sing Your Song ($2.60 favourite), settling her just outside the leader and driving her to the front in the final stages. She showed great determination to hold off Waiheke Rose ($2.90) by a neck, with her stablemate Wonka ($12) finishing a further neck behind in third.
As a full sister to the Group 2 winner Matias, Sing Your Song is currently priced at $11 for the Flight Stakes (1600m) scheduled for October 3rd, and Waller confirmed this is the race he is keen to target.
“I was hoping she could be a Flight Stakes filly,” he commented. “Obviously there is still a long way to go. We’ve got a little bit of time now to back off and regroup and time our run. I think she’ll be a better horse chasing eventually, but today will just wake her up a little bit.”
In an interesting note, the winner of Wednesday’s race has an esteemed history, with previous victors including the 2025 Spring Champion Stakes winner Attica and 2024 winner El Castello, alongside multiple Group 1 champion Ceolwulf in 2023.
This impressive lineage of past winners is unsurprising to Waller, who noted that three-year-old races held midweek just before the major carnival events often prove to be ideal stepping stones to loftier goals.
“This time of the year there are just some good horses racing,” Waller said. “The horses racing now that have had one or two runs, they’ve been looked after at two and they’re just starting to emerge at the right time. Anything that can win midweek at the moment is worth following.”
Sing Your Song’s triumph secured a double for Waller, following Godolphin filly Sequinned ($4) winning the opening race. Explore the top online bookmakers for the upcoming racing season at online bookmakers.