Racing
Lazzura ready to join Waller's extraordinary Group 1 club
Lazzura is following trainer Chris Waller's proven Group 1-winning blueprint into the $1 million Coolmore Classic (1500m) while her stablemate, the world's highest-rated mare, Autumn Glow, has an exhibition gallop between races at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Autumn Glow will gallop with another of Waller's outstanding mares, Aeliana, after race two.Unbeaten Autumn Glow is being readied for the Group 1 $1 million George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens next Saturday where she dominates early betting at $1.20.
Aeliana will also race next week at the Golden Slipper meeting where she is hot favourite at $1.90 for the Group 1 $1 million Ranvet Stakes (2000m).
Star Thoroughbreds-owned Aeliana gets her chance to break through for a deserved big-race win in the Ranvet after being runner-up to Autumn Glow in the Apollo Stakes and Verry Elleegant Stakes at her last two starts.
Autumn Glow's dynamic win in the Apollo Stakes has earned her a 117 rating which makes her the highest-rated mare in the latest official Longines World's Best Racehorse rankings which were released overnight.
She won the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes at the Coolmore meeting last year, giving Waller a record eighth win in the three-year-old race.
Before Lazzura, Waller's Phar Lap winners all had something in common – they were all successful at Group 1 level!
The sequence began with all-time great Winx in 2015. She trained on to win a world record 25 Group 1 races.
Waller has then won the Phar Lap with Foxplay (2017), Unforgotten (2018), Verry Elleegant (2019), Funstar (2020), Hungry Heart (2021) and Zougotcha (2023), all Group 1 winners.
But Lazzura, who has been placed at Group 1 level, has been burdened with 58kg, a weight no Coolmore winner has carried since the mighty Sunline shouldered with 60kg when she won the race in 2002.
Waller said Lazzura, who will be ridden by champion jockey James McDonald, has done everything right since her first-up second to Coolmore rival Cinsault in the Millie Fox Stakes three weeks ago.
Lazzura is the $5 favourite in early betting to give Waller a fourth successive Coolmore Classic after the wins of Espiona (2023), Zougotcha (2024) and Lady Shenandoah (2025).
Waller also has Firestorm ($13) in the big race as the mare attempts to go one better after her close second to Lady Shenandoah last year.
The Hall of Fame trainer will also be chasing a ninth win in 11 years in the $300,000 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) with three starters – Sixties, Panova and Soverato.
Waller has relied on fillies to win this race but his talented colt Sixties is the $1.65 favourite.
Waller said he didn't necessarily want to back up with Sixties so quickly after the Guineas but felt the Phar Lap Stakes was a better option rather than take on super mare Autumn Glow in the George Ryder Stakes next week.
