'He's just being too polite': Waller ready for Overlord to break through
Chris Waller will try to trick Overlord into his first win in Saturday’s Dulcify Quality at Rosehill, a race where his stable has a strong arm with Breeders' Plate winner Global Quest and the unbeaten Mo’unga.
Waller believes the trio have the potential to achieve stakes success, declaring Mo’unga “could be anything” and Global Quest a Caulfield Guineas horse. It is Overlord, however, placed in four of his five starts and also boasting a group 1 fourth, who is testing the champion trainer.
Chris Waller thinks he has worked out the solution to Overlord's barrier tardiness.Credit:Getty Images
Overlord has a habit of missing the start by a couple of lengths, and Waller believes if he can step with the field he would be one to beat in whatever races he runs.
“He loads well, he stands well but then he just lets them go in front of him and you can’t do that at this level,” Waller said. “It is like he’s just being too polite. We needed to find a way for him not to give up a couple of lengths at the start.”
Overlord has form around Peltzer and Rothfire, which both run in the Run To The Rose, and his barrier tardiness has Waller settling on an unusual solution.
“We have put a blindfold on him to help him to jump,” Waller said. “It worked at the track in the morning when used it. He jumped with two mates and quickly got in front of them.
“Hopefully he has learned that’s what he needs to do on race day.
“He has had the benefit of a first-up run [where after being slowly away he chased home hard for third in the Ming Dynasty Quality] and I think from what the riders are telling me the 1500m will be his trip.
“We could go back to a maiden and get a kill with him but he is much better than that.”
The market, which is headed by Mo’unga at $3, marks Overlord a $6.50 chance and group 3 winner Global Quest at $8 as he returns for his first run as a three-year-old.
There is a bit of confidence around Global Quest, who could earn a crack at the big colts in the Golden Rose if he wins at Rosehill on Saturday.
“He has developed into a miler. He has the physics of a Guineas horse,” Waller noted.
“I still haven’t given up on a Golden Rose with him and if Saturday’s race was 1300 or 1400 he would have been running in it. I think the extra trip of this race suits him rather than [the Run To The Rose].
“We ran The Autumn Sun over 1500m before the Golden Rose and it worked and he has had enough work to be running very well.”
Global Quest has had a solid grounding with three barrier trials since August and was only three or four lengths from Farnan in autumn.
Overlord and Global Quest have been to group level before but it’s Mo’unga, a winner at Gold Coast and Newcastle, who is the punters' elect.
Waller is not noted for racing his horses out of their grades, but wants to give Mo’unga his chance after charging home late at Newcastle.
“He just looks a really decent horse and could be anything. I think he’ll anything in the autumn not the spring,” Waller cautioned.
“He is still six months away from furnishing, but you have to try them now when they are impressive like him.”