Waller’s nerves eased as $1.7m colt rockets into Slipper frame

1 month ago 14

By Craig Kerry

January 31, 2026 — 5.54pm

Premier trainer Chris Waller admits he still gets nervous when rolling out any of his “six or seven decent two-year-olds” this year in the run to the $5 million Golden Slipper.

Hidrix, a $1.7 million full brother to group 1-winning filly Apocalyptic, settled some of those nerves at Rosehill when justifying a pre-emptive strike from punters for the Golden Slipper with a dominant win on debut in the group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) on Saturday.

The grey colt was into $18 with TAB for the Slipper on Friday after opening at $201, but he went around a $13 chance on Saturday when cruising to a one and three-quarter length victory under Zac Lloyd. Stablemate Confederation ($3.40) was well backed on debut and finished strongly for second.

Hidrix was into $8 equal favouritism for the Slipper with Warwoven on Saturday, while Confederation was $26. Waller said Confederation, a $650,000 Coolmore yearling, was a “bit keen in the first 400m and didn’t come back” under jockey James McDonald.

“The beauty of our horses is they are still on the up, they’ll have a ceiling as well, but hopefully we don’t find that ceiling until Slipper day,” Waller said.

“I get quite nervous going into the races because I’ve never asked them to do anything at home and I know they are vulnerable when you go to the races for the first time.

“They have the jockeys asking them to quicken and they’ve never been asked before, so to see them do it under race conditions against pretty handy horses, it’s near on impossible.”

As for their next races, he said: “I’m not too worried about splitting them up because we’ve got about six or seven decent two-year-olds and we’ve got to try to get one or two of them to the Slipper.”

He said Campione D’Italia would debut next week in the Lonhro Plate at Randwick, while Fireball, a winner on debut, and Defensemen would race in the Inglis Millennium.

Favourite Incognito finished fifth and drifted from $8 to $26 for the Slipper. Trainer Michael Freedman told stewards he believed the colt had displaced his palate and said he would be examined. He hoped to race him in three weeks.

Filly makes red-hot debut

Trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou had two runners in last year’s Golden Slipper and others just off the pace.

This year they might have just one, but it could be the one.

Chilly Girl, a homebred Trapeze Artist-I’ve Got Chills filly for owner Bert Vieira, led, fended off favourite Miss Scandal early then was tough late to win by a neck from Miss Chanel on debut in the group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) under Tim Clark.

She ran a quicker time than the colts and geldings in the Canonbury and was into $15 for the Slipper.

Chilly Girl wins the Widden Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.

“She’s good, but I thought she would get it a bit softer than that,” Alexiou said.

“But J-Mac [McDonald on Miss Scandal] pressed on and made her work a bit early, but she’s tough enough to fight off a race-fit horse [Miss Chanel], so really happy with that.

“We don’t have a lot of two-year-olds this year. A lot of ours are probably going to be end of the autumn into the winter. A lot of them probably aren’t quite up to Slipper grade.

“Hopefully she might be the one.”

Waller said Miss Scandal, which finished eighth on debut, would be going for a spell.

J-Mac delivers proud moment for Conners duo

“Dream horse” Willaidow lifted late to deliver a proud moment for trainer Marc Conners and his son, Mitchell, in the group 3 JRA Plate (1200m).

James McDonald raced Willaidow behind the leaders before finding a gap late and pushing him to a short-head victory over The Instructor. It was one of five winners for the premier jockey, who also saluted on Alabama State and Waller-trained Pippie Beach, Willie Oppa and Eagle Express.

The seven-year-old, a $7000 buy which overcame a broken leg early in his career, became just the second horse to go back-to-back in the race, registered as the Southern Cross Stakes.

It took his earnings to $822,225 and gave the father-and-son training team, formed last October, a first stakes victory. Mitchell, 25, is a fourth generation trainer and grandson of Hall of Famer, Clarry Conners.

“He’s put the hard yards in, he’s done a lot of work, he’s driving home from Newcastle today, he got beat up there, so this will cheer him up,” Marc, a group 1 winner, said of Mitchell.

“It’s a proud moment for me, to have him there beside me.”

Navy Steel back on course

Navy Steel added to Brett and Georgie Cavanough’s Country Championships assault with a front-running turnaround at Rosehill on Saturday.

The four-year-old was seventh in his past two Highway attempts after getting back in the field, but jockey Tommy Berry pushed him to take up the lead in the 1500m class 3 plate on Saturday.

Navy Steel wins the Highway Plate on Saturday.

Navy Steel ($21) held on by a nose from Like Lukey to take his record to five wins from 13 starts. The Scone training team were looking to the Country titles heat at Muswellbrook on March 8.

“Hopefully, they give him a few points and he can get into that,” Brett said.

“He’s a big, bold front-runner. The other day was just a mistake and today he’s made up for it.”

The Cavanoughs have Kosciuszko placegetter Chidiac leading their Country Championships charge.

“Bits and pieces, but they are like him,” Brett said of his other hopes.

“They have all won three and four, and they probably need to win one or two to get there.”

Waller eyes stakes targets

Chris Waller was looking to the group 3 Aspiration Quality with Pippie Beach and the group 1 Australian Guineas with Sixties after they were among five winners for the top trainer on Saturday at Rosehill.

Pippie Beach held off odds-on favourite Cross Tasman in the 1500m benchmark 88, while Ming Dynasty winner Sixties swooped down the outside to beat Roselyn’s Star in the 1200m version.

Waller said five-year-old mare Pippie Beach would likely target the Aspiration (1600m) on March 7 at Randwick, while three-year-old colt Sixties, a full brother to group 1-winner Artorius, would go to the $1 million Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on February 28 after a 1400m run.

“The most exciting thing is where we head to next, and he’ll be heading to a group 1,” Waller said of Sixties.

“It will be interesting to see what distance he’ll get to. I’d like to think he would get to an Australian Guineas.”