Racing: Chris Waller confident in Tajanis for Auckland Cup 3200m debut

Tajanis.

New Zealand’s greatest training export, Chris Waller, had no doubts favourite Tajanis will handle his first 3200m start in today’s $600,000 Barfoot And Thompson Auckland Cup.

Which means punters could be running out of reasons not to back the former UK stayer at Ellerslie even though many have never seen him race.

Waller is the king of Australian racing and if Tajanis can justify his favouritism today it will give the former Foxton boy his biggest success in his homeland at a meeting Waller admits he would love to be at.

“It is going to be a huge meeting and has plenty of interest over here but it clashes with two major meetings [Sydney and Melbourne] so I can’t be there,” he told the Herald.

Tajanis and Konasana, already a winner at Ellerslie, will represent the Waller juggernaut, and while Tajanis has won over 2816m in England and twice over 2400m in Sydney he has yet to try today’s 3200m.

“That won’t be an issue,” says Waller.

“He is a good strong European galloper with a good stride and he keeps going through the line.

“This looks the right race for him and he gets in well with 53kg so we are going in with no excuses.”

Tajanis’ two recent wins over 2400m have seen him show a turn of foot off first a mixed tempo and then again in a stronger 2400m on firm ground at Warwick Farm, conditions that should nicely mirror the challenges of today’s Cup.

Add in-form jockey Michael McNab and he is clearly the horse to beat.

Waller is realistic about Konasana’s chances in the Breeders Stakes, suggesting she will go a big race but the best version of Legarto could be too good for her.

As for the Sydney meeting that will keep Waller from Ellerslie?

“I think Aliena can go a big race in the Randwick Guineas,” he says of the Group 1 just minutes after the last at Ellerslie today.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s racing editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.