Waller doubles up with early 2YO success

Chris Waller has gone from having never trained a two-year-old winner before Christmas to notching up two in a week.

After being sent out the $2.20 favourite, Madame Moustache scored gutsy win in the Victory Vein Plate at Randwick on Saturday.

It came seven days after stablemate Luiza won the Kirkham Plate at the same track.

Darhad ($5.50) appeared to have her measure in the straight, but Madame Moustache refused to be beaten and fought back to claim the race by a nose.

Ibanez ($8) was 1-1/4lengths behind them in third.

Waller’s racing manager Charlie Duckworth said the stable had changed the way yearlings were managed.

“We’re doing their prep slightly differently. We’re doing a lot more barrier work,” Duckworth said.

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He said both fillies had benefited from barrier one and put Madame Moustache’s determination down to her race experience in the Listed Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick on October 1 where she finished fourth.

“She had to dig very deep to fight back but that’s where race experience is absolutely priceless,” Duckworth said.

“That was the difference between winning and losing today.

“She’s done a tremendous job beating the colts.”

Darhad’s jockey Josh Parr agreed that race experience was the telling factor.

“They have got a good horse to go along with now,” Parr said.

“For a young horse he has a good race sense about him.”

He said the colt would be competitive wherever trainer Michael Freedman decided to take him..