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Finche Horse Form (Photo: Steve Hart) | Races.com.au

Waller Dominates 2020 Chelmsford Stakes Nominations

Lucy Henderson August 31, 2020

Waller Dominates 2020 Chelmsford Stakes Nominations

Five-time winning trainer Chris Waller again dominates nominations for the Chelmsford Stakes 2020 this weekend with a bumper 11 entries for the Royal Randwick feature.

Finche Horse Form (Photo: Steve Hart) | Races.com.au

Finche is one of 11 Chelmsford Stakes 2020 nominees for five-time winning trainer Chris Waller. Photo: Steve Hart.

Waller chases a record sixth win in Saturday’s Group 2 $250,000 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) having won the weight-for-age mile event previously with: Danleigh (2012), dual champion Hawkspur (2013-14), the mighty Winx (2017) and most recently Unforgotten (2018).

This Sydney Spring Racing Carnival he returns with a powerhouse contingent featuring a host of Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup nominated stayers including Finche who ran fifth in the race first-up 12 months ago.

Finche is best known for his fourth in the 2018 Melbourne Cup, the Frankel gelding also running seventh to Vow And Declare last year.

The now seven-year-old, still lightly raced having had just the 15 starts ahead of his return on Saturday, is nominated for a third shot at the ‘race that stops a nation’ with his Cups’ bid beginning in the Chelmsford.

“He has been in work for a long time so he is naturally pretty fit,” Waller told the media this week, also confirming Kathy O’Hara for the ride.

“I think he will run a cheeky race over a mile but he will be harder to beat second up over 2000 metres.”

Other key Chelmsford Stakes nominations from the Waller stable include Group 1 Queen Of The Turf third-placed Danzdanzdance, Golden Eagle winner Kolding and the consistent Yulong Prince.

Godolphin’s James Cummings has two very strong chances in the mix with multiple Group 1 winner Avilius and his ATC Oaks winning stablemate Collette both nominated to get their spring campaigns underway in the event.

Pivotal seven-year-old Avilius races for the first time since his back-to-back Rosehill Group 1 thirds in March when finishing in the money behind Addeybb in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and Verry Elleegant in the Tancred (2400m).

He was runner-up to Samadoubt (2019) in last year’s Chelmsford Stakes results before winning the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) at the same track and distance a fortnight later, and is sure to be one of the best in betting for his return this season.

Collette meanwhile is an early favourite in the all-in Caulfield Cup 2020 betting markets, the daughter of Hallowed Crown set to make her four-year-old debut in the Chelmsford having gone out a four-straight winner including her big Group 1 ATC Oaks success on April 11.

“She has come back well,” Cummings told Racenet.

“She has that little bit of speed that you like to see from the now four-year-old that has had the spell under her belt from her Oaks campaign and she will be interesting to see in her now second prep.”

Hawkes Racing’s 2019 ATC Derby winner Angel Of Truth and Tony Pike’s Group 1 winning Kiwi raider The Bostonian looking to improve on a first-up seventh in the Group 1 Winx Stakes are among the other key Chelmsford early entries.

See below for the full Chelmsford Stakes 2020 nominations with all-in betting on the race available here courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 Chelmsford Stakes Nominations

Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer H Rating
1 0x895756x2 ANGEL OF TRUTH G 5 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 99
2 147x54533x AVILIUS (GB) G 7 James Cummings 114
3 1902x7691x BRIMHAM ROCKS (GB) G 7 Chris Waller 103
4 222x0352x6 CARIF H 5 Peter & Paul Snowden 101
5 8221111x COLETTE M 4 James Cummings 106
6 4248x600x9 CUTADEEL G 5 Richard Litt 85
7 955x5663x9 DANZDANZDANCE M 6 Chris Waller 103
8 x34x51257x FINCHE (GB) G 7 Chris Waller 110
9 57x40410x0 INTERLOCUTER (USA) G 8 Richard Litt 98
10 2x2113x5 KINANE (NZ) G 4 Chris Waller 83
11 11x45778x0 KOLDING (NZ) G 5 Chris Waller 109
12 374x66461x LIFE LESS ORDINARY (IRE) G 9 Chris Waller 107
13 x70504150x MISS SENTIMENTAL (NZ) M 5 Chris Waller 100
14 8822x1180x MISS SISKA M 7 Matthew Smith 106
15 6101x300x5 MISTER SEA WOLF (IRE) G 9 Chris Waller 110
16 48126789×5 MORTON’S FORK G 7 Richard Litt 90
17 6190x1410x NETTOYER M 7 Wendy Roche 110
18 011123×001 PATHS OF GLORY (GB) G 6 Richard & Michael Freedman 87
19 111x3103x0 SHARED AMBITION (IRE) G 5 Chris Waller 103
20 x9358x12x7 THE BOSTONIAN (NZ) G 6 Tony Pike 116
21 97730x117x WU GOK G 7 Chris Waller 108
22 1x7207523x YULONG PRINCE (SAF) H 6 Chris Waller 105
23 26x1122x8 ZEBROWSKI (NZ) G 4 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 96

*Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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