A change in the Villiers Stakes distance could work to leading trainer Chris Waller’s advantage for a second time on Saturday.
Waller will start topweight Coup Ay Tee as well as Said Com in the $175,000 Group Two that has been shortened from 1600m to 1550m because racing has been switched from the Randwick course proper to the Kensington track.
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He says the reduction in distance will help Said Com, just as it did in the post-equine influenza era as he trained Honor In War to beat Takeover Target on protest when a rescheduled Villiers was run over 1400m in 2008.
Waller prefers Said Com over Coup Ay Tee as his best chance for a small piece of Villiers history to repeat itself.
“With the weights I’d be leaning to Said Com,” he said.
“I don’t know if he is a genuine miler so it is a bit of a relief to see the race back to 1550 metres.”
A Hugh Bowman mount, Said Com completed his Villiers build-up in the Festival Stakes when he finished off late to run fifth to White Sage.
“He’s had the right preparation, he’s well weighted and he’s well drawn so there will be no excuses on Saturday,” Waller said.
Waller is cautious about the prospects of Coup Ay Tee who returns to Sydney racing with the burden of 59kg.
“There are other horses as good as him in the race but they are still getting to the top whereas he’s already there,” Waller said.
“Therefore they have got a weight relief and that’s how handicapping works.”
A modest tempo and the weights conspired against Coup Ay Tee in the Coupland’s Mile at Riccarton last month.
“He was also topweight there against Group One winners so he’s paying the price for consistency,” Waller said.
Coup Ay Tee shares topweight with Western Symbol, the Gai Waterhouse-trained stayer who has been sidelined for most of the year because of injury.
Now a seven-year-old, Western Symbol has shown he can act well when fresh.
“He’s done enough work for a mile first-up and he has been hitting the line well in his trials,” Tulloch Lodge spokesman Mark Newnham said.
Sysmo continues to hold Villiers favouritism at $6 ahead of promising four-year-olds Ninth Legion and Taxmeifyoucan at $8.
