Favourite Barnavara at $1.70 failed to make an impact late, crossing only fourth behind stablemate Wootton Verni who claimed a decisive triumph.
Waller credited Wootton Verni’s Australian tenure as pivotal, expressing regret over Barnavara’s display yet acknowledging her excuses.
“Wootton Verni has been here a while now and he found some great form in the spring,” Waller said, referring to the gelding’s wins in the Coongy Handicap and Rosehill Gold Cup.
“Certainly, he’s talented horse and with a bit of give in the ground and being rock-hard fit, he showed the others up.”
Barnavara’s European style involved settling prominently, but a poor start hindered her on Australian soil.
“The plan was to go forward, to be second, third or fourth but she dwelt at the start,” Waller said.
“I think rather than fire her up, Australian horses just find their positions so quickly, whereas if you fire her up first Australian start I guess James (McDonald) would have thought you could of set her alight which is what we didn’t want.
Then when they went slow, it was very hard from back there. They controlled it from the front and made it hard to finish off.”
Tommy Berry guided $5.50 shot Wootton Verni to a two-and-a-half length romp over $4.20 English import Caviar Heights in second after a bold finish, with $26 outsider Portland grabbing third close up.
Barnavara, Group 1 winner from France, surged on the turn but weakened beyond 300m to run fourth.
Berry appreciated having Wootton Verni ahead of the mare Barnavara.
“I was always going to put my bloke into the race,” Berry said.
“I thought the mare (Barnavara) was going to maybe even slide forward and I would be on the back of her.
It’s always nice to be in front of quality horses in the run and they’ve got to chase you.”
James McDonald on Barnavara noted the slow pace disadvantaged her.
“She got back in a slowly run race,” McDonald said. “She will improve.”
Waller is contemplating futures for the pair.
“The plan was always to run Wootton Verni in the Tancred Stakes today but he just didn’t quite fulfill our expectations last start,” Waller said.”So, we’ve come back a grade just to give him some confidence, and he’s got that confidence back.
Is he up to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes? That will be the question we have to answer.”
Barnavara’s path to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on April 11 depends on her recovery, Waller indicated.
Caviar Heights’ strong second gives UK handler William Haggas options.
Issy Paul, Haggas’s travelling rep, said Caviar Heights eyes the Queen Elizabeth Stakes or Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 11.
“Caviar Heights will go to either of those races, it will be up to the boss (Haggas),” Paul said.”But we are very happy with Caviar Heights. He has run a really good race and will improve.”
Jockey Tom Marquand lauded Caviar Heights’ effort.
“He ran great,” Marquand said. “We were ruined a little bit by the lack of tempo.
I wish he’d stepped a little better and I’d have been able to be a bit more positive.”
Matthew Smith was satisfied with Portland’s third-place finish.
“He’s run well and continues to improve,” Smith said. “We will look at the JRA Plate for him.”
Kerrin McEvoy aboard Portland described a meritorious run.
“I got onto the back of the favourite but it didn’t really take me anywhere,” McEvoy said.
“I had to switch out to get into the clear and he got going well over the last furlong (a200m).”
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