Soul Of Spain stamped himself as a stayer on the rise with victory in Friday’s Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2350m), putting him firmly on the path towards potential Group 1 assignments.
The Chris Waller-trained galloper delivered the champion trainer his seventh Cup triumph in the past 11 years, leaving him just one win behind Gai Waterhouse’s tally of eight. Sent out the $2.45 favourite, Soul Of Spain travelled kindly behind the speed under Zac Lloyd before surging along the inside to score by half a length over Royal Supremacy ($3.90), with stablemate Travolta ($3.40) another neck away in third.
Waller’s stable representative Zane Jones said the lightly raced five-year-old continued to take each new challenge in his stride. “Every time Chris raises the bar, he just seems to jump through it,” Jones said. “He’s got plenty of upside, he’s lightly raced, he’s continuing to build a good record. It was a run full of merit the other day, and we were under no illusions that it was a harder assignment today, but he’s passed with flying colours.”
Following the win, Soul Of Spain has firmed into $6 equal favourite for the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) on October 4.
Jockey Zac Lloyd was equally impressed, noting the horse’s ability to adapt to different conditions. “He’s a pleasure to ride,” Lloyd said. “With such a slow tempo, I thought it could favour the other runners in the race but he quickened very well and never felt like getting beat.”
The undercard featured the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m), offering a ballot-free entry to the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m). Joseph Pride’s Headley Grange ($6) proved too sharp, combining again with jockey Adam Hyeronimus to secure their fifth win from six outings together. The gelding also broke the track record, stopping the clock at 1:28.32.
“I thought if he had a weakness it was going to be firm tracks but he’s put that to bed,” Pride said. “We got deep into the Winter with him, I wanted to give him a freshen up to get into the Big Dance at some point, he’s got a nomination for the Epsom so we might go to the Big Dance via the Epsom.”
Punters can find odds for Soul Of Spain in the The Metropolitan and Headley Grange in the Epsom Handicap at Australia’s leading betting sites.