Winx trainer Waller out for another Turnbull with Melbourne Cup favourite Finche

7.25 Flemington, Saturday
TAB Turnbull Stakes (Group 1) | 1m2f, 4yo+ | SSR

Melbourne Cup favourite Finche will on Saturday bid to enhance his credentials for Australia's most famous race in a contest his trainer Chris Waller has landed in the last two years with star mare Winx.

The five-year-old, part-owned by Khalid Abdullah, finished fourth in last year's Melbourne Cup and returned to winning ways when landing the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes at Randwick last month.

The son of Frankel was a dual Group-race winner in France for Andre Fabre prior to joining Waller, and is the general 12-1 market leader to win the Melbourne Cup on November 5.

Speaking to Melbourne-based newspaper The Age, Waller, who also runs Kings My Dream, said: "Finche will appreciate Flemington and, having had that second run of the year, he will be fit. He will keep grinding and keep them all honest.

"Kings My Dream will appreciate this trip and is having his third run of the year. He will be hard to beat."

Hartnell: the Group 1 regular contests the Turnbull StakesCredit: Vince Caligiuri

Cox Plate hope Mystic Journey suffered a first defeat in seven starts when narrowly denied by Gatting in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes and is the likely favourite.

Her trainer Adam Trinder said: "She's in really good order and should run a hell of a race. I'm hopeful she'll stay the trip and she should be really competitive."

Group 1 regular Hartnell, Queensland Derby winner Mr Quickie and Rostropovich, a Dee Stakes winner for Aidan O’Brien last year, are also among the 11-runner field for a race worth A$500,000 (£276,243).

Martin Harley is spending an autumn and winter stint as a freelance jockey in Australia and has four rides on the card, including topweight and former Ebor winner Muntahaa (8.05) in the A$500,000 Lexus Bart Cummings, a Group 3 handicap named after the 12-time Melbourne Cup-winning trainer.

Martin Harley: rides former Ebor winner Muntahaa in the Bart Cummings StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Muntahaa joined the training partnership of David Hayes, Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig after finishing ninth in the Melbourne Cup for John Gosden last year, but has failed to figure in three starts in 2019.

The Bart Cummings is a 'win and you're in' event for the Melbourne Cup and the Paul Preusker-trained Surprise Baby has leading claims following a narrow second in the Listed Andrew Ramsden and a close fourth in the Group 2 Feehan Stakes.

King Of Leogrance, owned by Lloyd Williams and formerly trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, is lightly raced and ran well on debut for Liam Howley when a half-length fourth in a course-and-distance handicap last month.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Wolfe will be another market principal, while Dal Harraild, Ventura Storm, Haripour, Supernova, Alfarris and Caliburn – now named Te Akau Caliburn – are other former British and Irish-based horses in the 14-runner renewal.

Also on Saturday

There are three top-level contests at Randwick on Saturday, with Waller taking aim at the A$1,000,000 (£541,346) Epsom Handicap (7.05) by saddling six of the 20 runners.

Kolding heads the market for Waller and jockey Glen Boss, while Irish-born Robbie Dolan, who won last season's apprentice championship in New South Wales, rides Cascadian for James Cummings.

Brimham Rocks, Stampede and Hush Writer are the market principals in the A$750,000 (£406,077) The Metropolitan (7.45), while Waller saddles short-priced favourite Funstar (5.05) in the A$500,000 (£270,718) Flight Stakes.

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