Any Luck prevails in the Warrnambool Cup
Kate Walters dedicated her 2026 Warrnambool Cup to the late Dean Holland, as her father Wayne’s Any Luck (NZ) (Puccini) denied favourite Alder (Australia) in a thriller on Thursday.
Backing up from a solid effort on Tuesday, Any Luck was unwanted in betting and wide, but travelled well throughout the 2350-metre journey, moving into contention early in the straight.
Alder ($4) fought valiantly to continue his superb form off a long-term layoff, but the Walters’ ultra-tough galloper would not give in and got the perfect bob on the line.
Walters was overcome with emotion on her return to scale, and paid tribute to one of her closest mates in a raw and heartfelt post-race interview.
“That’s for Dean. Dean was one of my best friends,” she said.
“I knew him before he had all the tatts; I was the one who got him drunk. I actually miss him all the time, and especially at these carnivals.
“It’s constantly missing him – I’d do anything to have him back.”
Walters wasn’t as surprised by the victory as the market, buoyed by Any Luck’s fourth-placed finish in Tuesday’s lead-up run.
Incredibly, Wayne Walters trained both of Any Luck’s sire Puccini, a dual G1 winner in New Zealand, who was narrowly beaten in the G3 Lord Reims for the Walters clan, and dam Luckzat (NZ), who herself ran fourth in the Warrnambool Cup.
