Waller continues Queensland success

The success of premier Sydney trainer Chris Waller’s Gold Coast stable could entice more of the big southern stables to have an increased presence in Queensland.

Waller had a double at Ipswich on Wednesday to give him 23 Queensland winners, including 19 in the metropolitan area, since the Gold Coast stable opened in August.

His horses have earned $2.3 million in Queensland this season.

Gold Coast stable manager Paul Shailer said Wednesday’s Ipswich winner Torgersen was typical of the benefit of a Queensland stable.

Torgersen won the Open Handicap which had been rescheduled from the Doomben wash-out last Saturday, and took his earnings since coming to Queensland to about $146,000.

“It should have been a good bit more because he has had bad luck with barriers. But he has been racing very well,” Shailer said.

Torgersen might step up in distance soon to join other Waller horses who have dominated Queensland middle distance racing this season.

Waller will have four runners on Saturday at Doomben including promising stayer Kirini and smart three-year-old Another Dollar.

Queensland had many satellite stables in the 1990s including those of Gai Waterhouse, Lee Freedman, Bart Cummings, John Hawkes and Bill Mitchell.

But they all closed by the mid 2000s and Waller is the first to open a new operation since.

The powerful Godolphin stable has been testing the water in Queensland in recent weeks and will have Old North in the Open Handicap (1350m) on Saturday.