Waller turns to Melhams ahead of Oaks
Chris Waller has turned to the Melhams as he strives to add to his imperious Group One record this season in Saturday's Queensland Oaks.
Australia's leading Group One trainer will have three runners in the A$700,000 event, Panova (Trapeze Artist), Chispa (NZ) (Savabeel) and Soverato (NZ) (Vadamos), with the first two in need of new pilots after champion rider James McDonald partnered both in their final lead-ups.
McDonald will miss this Saturday's Eagle Farm meeting due to a suspension incurred in Hong Kong on May 24.
Panova and Chispa are fighting out favouritism for the 2200-metre event and will be ridden by Ben Melham and Jamie Melham respectively with Ryan Maloney to take the ride on Soverato.
Panova is striving to emulate another Waller-trained filly, Egg Tart (Sebring), as the only horse to complete the Australasian Oaks/Queensland Oaks double and Waller has given her the same lead-in as Egg Tart.
The daughter of Trapeze Artist, who had three runs in Sydney prior to the Australasian Oaks, has not started since her win in that 2000m Oaks on April 25 with Waller electing to trial her in Sydney in preference to a lead-up run in Brisbane.
"She's come out of the South Australian Oaks win in good shape," Waller said.
"We could have run in her the Doomben Roses but we chose not to. Again, (because of) travel.
"She's travelled to Melbourne, she's travelled to Adelaide, she's travelled back to Melbourne, she's travelled back up to Sydney, she's travelled (to the Gold Coast).
"That's a lot of travel, so we chose not to run her again and she's well. It was a great win last start and 2200 metres should be no problem."
Waller's two other Queensland Oaks runners did come through the Gr.2 The Roses (2000m), with Chispa finishing second to Fireball Miss (Bivouac) and Soverato sixth.
It was a drop back in trip for Soverato, a daughter of Vadamos who finished fifth in the Gr.1 ATC Oaks (2400m), but the first try and 2000m for Chispa, who will be having the seventh start of her debut campaign this weekend.
Waller doesn't have any doubts about the daughter of Savabeel and the Galileo mare Scintillula handling the step up to 2200m in the Oaks.
"She didn't have much luck the other day, but it was good to see her settle well and do all the little things right," he said.
"She should get 2200 easily."
Chispa is owned and bred by Pencarrow Stud’s Sir Peter Vela.
Soverato races in the OTI silks following their purchase of the filly after an eye-catching second at the Waipa trials for Simon and Katrina Alexander. Simon and Katrina had purchased her under their Kasa Bloodstock banner from Rich Hill Stud’s draft on the 2024 National Online Yearling Sale.
