Premier Sydney trainer Chris Waller has started making his presence felt in Melbourne and jockey Craig Newitt is keen to go along for the ride.
Newitt’s success for Waller in the past has included a Group One victory aboard The Verminator in the 2011 Metropolitan and the hoop has been called on regularly in Melbourne by Waller since the trainer opened a small satellite stable at Flemington earlier this year.
“He’s the leading trainer in the country at the moment so it’s definitely a big stable to be attached to if you can keep it going,” Newitt said.
“I’ve had a bit of luck for him in the past couple of years and hopefully if I can keep riding winners he can keep putting me on.”
Newitt partnered the Waller-trained Thubiaan to success by the barest of margins over 2800m at Flemington on May 4 and the stayer is favourite to take out Saturday’s Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (3200m) at the same track.
Waller trained seven winners last Saturday spanning three different tracks and has runners at Doomben, Flemington, Scone and Kembla on Saturday.
Thubiaan was taken to the front by Newitt last start because the pace was slow and the gelding can over-race, and Newitt said the key on Saturday would be getting him to relax.
“He’s obviously going to be one of the main chances,” Newitt said.
“It looks a pretty thin race even though there are big nominations, and there’s going to be some tired horses about six or seven hundred metres from home.
“It’s a bit of a sticky gate (barrier seven) and I’ll probably have to ride him a bit quieter than I did last start, but the main key is to just get him to switch off.
“If he switches off he’ll be right in the money.”
Waller’s Melbourne stable representative Justine Hales was delighted with the way Thubiaan had come through his recent win ahead of his grand final for the campaign.
“He should run it out. He ran 3000 metres out all right at Moonee Valley (in March) and he’s super fit,” Hales said.
Newitt also rides the Waller-trained Secessio in the Baden Baden Trophy and believes the import can be a “big improver” stepping up to 2000m.
