Three-year-old colt Militarize will enter the 1,600-meter Randwick Guineas in top shape and rivals will have to be at the top of their game to challenge the horse, says trainer Chris Waller.
Militarize had a solo workout on Saturday and ran the 1,000-metre distance in 1:06.42 seconds, running the last 600 metres at a more leisurely pace. The star colt will run the Group 1 Guineas three weeks after it finished second to Fangirl in the Apollo Stakes at Randwick.
Waller thought three weeks between runs was perfect for Militarize and issued a warning to rivals, saying they would need to be in their best form to beat the Golden Rose hero. Waller likes to use race day gallops to prime his horses for the big races, especially when leaving three weeks between runs, as “they can be a little soft” if they aren’t trialled or given some work. He said the gallop on Saturday would be like “two solid gallops at home.”
French Import Buckaroo Primed for the Ranvet Stakes
Speaking about his other horses, Waller confirmed Buckaroo would run at the Ranvet Stakes and won’t be involved in the Verry Elleegant Stakes. Buckaroo has been used sparingly by Waller, as the trainer feels that is the optimal way to get the horse to perform to his best, at least for now.
Waller said that if they had backed Buckaroo up now, they wouldn’t have him at the end, so managing him was like walking a fine line and they had to be careful with the steps they take.
The Group 1 Coolmore Classic Comes a Bit Early for Olentia
Buckaroo’s stablemate Olentia will miss races too and won’t run in the Guy Walter Stakes. Waller said the mare had the temperature and, even though it wasn’t a big problem, she had to rest for a few days so they could regroup and find a race that she would run in next.
That race won’t be the Coolmore Classic, though. The Group 1 race will come a little early for Olentia, with Waller saying she was a step below the “good horses” running in the 1,500-meter Coolmore Classic. However, Waller was confident that Olentia would earn her stripes when the time came.
