CHAMPION trainer Chris Waller is on pace to break his own record for most metropolitan wins in a season.
With the 2017-18 season entering its last quarter, Waller has an unassailable lead in the trainers premiership and his Hawkesbury brace from Sambro and Up 'N' Rolling improved his tally to 139 Sydney wins, well clear of nearest rival James Cummings on 73 wins.
Waller will claim his eighth successive Sydney premiership this season but can he break his record of 169 wins set in 2015-16?
There have been 87 Sydney meetings so far this season and Waller is averaging 1.59 wins per meeting. If he can maintain that for the remaining 28 meetings, he will exceed 180 Sydney wins. Waller could even nudge 200 Sydney wins, once an unthinkable achievement considering Tommy Smith's record of 156 wins set in 1975-76 stood until Waller arrived.
CAULFIELD WRAP: BASTER DOESN'T MISS FOR GAI
GOLD RUSH: GLENALL APPRECIATED DROP IN GRADE
GODOLPHIN CROWN: PECANS BOUND FOR NORTHERN WINTER
AT THE TRACK: EL-ISSA SADDLES UP FOR BIG SCREEN DEBUT
EMERGING STARS SHOW THEIR REAL WORTH
GRAFF and Roman Son didn't win the Hawkesbury feature races but they might turn out to be the best gallopers to emerge from a quality stand-alone meeting last Saturday.
Trainer Kris Lees admitted he had given up on Graff mid-race when the unbeaten colt looked to be under pressure in the TAB Clarendon Stakes but he was strong through the line to score a narrow win.
Graff has won his only two starts and is now being set for the BRC Sires Produce Stakes-JJ Atkins Stakes feature double at the Brisbane winter carnival.
Roman Son won the Provincial Stayer's Handicap with authority and again demonstrated a brilliant burst of acceleration to close off his race.
Trainer Richard Freedman is trying to keep a lid on Roman Son's growing boom but conceded he is likely to set the four-year-old for the Brisbane Cup next month.
HAWKES ON SONG AT HAWKESBURY
TEAM Hawkes celebrated a feature double at Hawkesbury with two gallopers who finally broke through at stakes level.
Kingsguard produced a career-best effort, winning the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup, and is now likely to be aimed at the Scone Cup.
He will never be the best in the Hawkes stable but the gelding has now amassed nearly $400,000 in prizemoney and there is no reason he can't continue his momentum at Scone.
Glenall is a lightly raced four-year-old loaded with ability and his win in the Listed Hawkesbury XXXX Gold Rush could mean the sprinter is ready to realise his potential.
The Hawkes stable missed out in the Hawkesbury Guineas but the run of their filly, Montrachet, to finish fourth after striking trouble at the top of the straight was outstanding. Montrachet was going to the races for just the third time.
STAND-ALONE MEETING CONTINUES TO GROW
THE Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting, which featured four stakes races and $1.2 million in prizemoney, again attracted a bumper crowd of just under 10,000 with betting turnover topping $7 million.
Hawkesbury Race Club chief executive Greg Rudolph revealed plans to further boost the race day next year with a likely prizemoney increase for the TAB Clarendon Stakes to at least $150,000 (up from $125,000), which the club hopes will coincide with its elevation to Listed status.
Rudolph indicated prizemoney for the Godolphin Crown would rise to $200,000 from $25,000 to bring it into line with the other Group 3 races on the program, the Guineas and Gold Cup, while the TAB Highway race would rise from 1100m to either 1300m or 1400m to allow for a better progression for bush sprinters aimed at the Scone Country Cup.
The club is about to open its new Polytrack training surface and will soon start constructing a new stable complex with 50 on-course boxes.
NASH HAS PASSPORT CONFISCATED
BESIEGED jockey Nash Rawiller's passport has been confiscated as the Hong Kong ICAC continues its investigation of the betting scandal.
Rawiller was disqualified for 15 months by stewards last week for receiving gifts or money in exchange for race tips on horses he rode.
The former champion Sydney jockey was also found to have had on diverse occasions an interest in bets on horses, with those bets being facilitated by people known to him.
There is no suggestion Rawiller had bet or tipped against his own rides.
Rawiller was detained at Hong Kong airport when trying to catch a flight back to Australia then held for 48 hours.
DUFF'S SNAPSHOT: HAWKESBURY
SKY Thoroughbred Central's Ron Dufficy gives his assessment of the best performances from the Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting on Saturday.
RUN OF THE DAY
Roman Son appears to have a bigger fan base than Justin Bieber at his peak but he is delivering the goods at this early stage.
On a day were they weren't running sizzling times he broke the race record and did it in fine style.
He has been beautifully placed by trainer Richard Freedman but it is time to test the water at a better level to see where he really stands.
FORGET THEY RAN
Victorem was a beaten favourite in the Guineas but he was far from disgraced.
Understandably he had to go back in a moderately run race from an awkward draw.
He had to make his move early making a long sustained run and after finding the front he was run down by a horse going well who had the softer run.
Don't sack him off that.
THE BLACK BOOK
A few to follow out if this meeting including the 2YO's Graff and Mickey Blue Eyes.
I know this race wasn't a serious contest running very slow time but they rushed home in serious figures for the day and I'm happy to tick them off for a future reference.
RIDE OF THE DAY
Angland and Avdulla rode well for their winning doubles but it was Josh Parr who gets the nod with two faultless rides for a feature double onPecans and Sambro.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Monday: Grafton
Tuesday: Taree
Wednesday: Canterbury
Thursday: Wagga, Wyong
Friday: Muswellbrook, Wagga
Saturday: Binnaway, Boorowa (picnic), Lismore, Newcastle, Rosehill Gardens
Sunday: Dubbo, Sapphire Coast
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