Jon Snow (4) wins the Australian Derby in early April. Photo / Bradley Photography
Jon Snow (4) wins the Australian Derby in early April. Photo / Bradley Photography
September's A$1 million Memsie Stakes has been pencilled in as the likely spring kick-off for group one-winning stablemates Bonneval and Jon Snow.
The two gave the Cambridge partnership of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman a rare achievement as the trainers of the winners of the Australian Derby (Jon Snow) and Australian Oaks (Bonneval) in Sydney during the autumn carnival.
Forsman said Jon Snow and Bonneval returned to work at the beginning of the month and were a week or two from their first decent hit-outs on the training track.
"They are both stronger, but obviously you'd expect that going from three to four years old," Forsman said.
"We couldn't be happier at this stage, but there's still a lot of water to go under the bridge.
"Obviously they are both Caulfield Cup candidates, so that would be the target at this stage unless one of them puts their hand up and says they are good enough to take on Winx [in the Cox Plate]," Forsman said.
"I think otherwise we'll be steering in that direction."
Jon Snow won the Tulloch Stakes and Derby in his two Sydney autumn starts while Bonneval was a dominant winner of the Oaks in her only Sydney appearance. They are both high in Caulfield Cup markets.
"It's not easy to win an Oaks or a Derby, but I guess you've always got to be mindful they're coming off rain-affected tracks against their own age, and then getting to Melbourne against the older horses is always a different ball game," Forsman said. "Only a select few can take that step up and we were lucky that Mongolian Khan was good enough to do it. And we're pretty confident these two have the class to do that, so hopefully everything works out between now and then."
The stable also has group one-winning mare Lizzie L'amour scheduled for a Cups campaign, with VRC Oaks placegetter Eleonora another earmarked for Melbourne.
Meanwhile, a successful New Zealand partnership is joining forces again - this time in Queensland.
Paul Shailer.
Paul Shailer spent a decade in Sydney with champion horseman and fellow Kiwi Chris Waller, graduating to assistant trainer, before he returned home to establish his own business at Matamata and more recently at Levin.
The 38-year-old sent out 57 winners, the bulk of them when training in partnership with brother Kris.
Shailer is now back across the Tasman to link up again with the powerful Waller operation, this time to oversee a satellite stable in Queensland.
Final approval is expected from Racing Queensland in the coming weeks on a new operation in Brisbane or at the Gold Coast. The latter is the preferred venue and the stable is expected to house up to 20 horses.
"We want to take advantage of the warmer weather and have a large impact on the Magic Millions carnival as well as the winter carnival," Waller said. Ahead of the new venture, Shailer has been in Sydney re-acquainting himself with Waller's systems. "It was just too good an opportunity to turn down," he said. "I missed Australia and I missed working with Chris. I had 10 years in Sydney with him and right from the beginning when he only had six or seven horses.
"When I left he had more than 100 horses and he finished second in the premiership the last two years I was there."
During Shailer's time in Sydney, the stable's group one winners included Danleigh (Chipping Norton Stakes, George Ryder Stakes, Manikato Stakes, All Aged Stakes), Metal Bender (George Ryder Stakes, Doomben Cup, Rosehill Guineas, Randwick Guineas), Rangirangdoo (George Ryder Stakes, Doncaster Handicap), Shellscrape (The Galaxy) and Triple Honour (Doncaster Handicap).
