Waller Stable Hold the Key to Melbourne Cup

Tara Madgwick - Wednesday September 3

Champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller has 27 of the 120 entries for this year’s $10million Melbourne Cup, which equates to more than 20 per cent of the total, so it’s probably worth having a closer look at them.

Australian Horse of the Year Via Sistina (IRE) heads the entries for the Waller stable, but it’s a fascinating list that also includes Derby winning fillies of last season in Aeliana and Femminile who joined the stable after being purchased by Yulong at the MM National Sale for $1.5million.

Yulong own a significant number of the Waller entries, but none are a more realistic chance of winning than River of Stars (IRE).

River of Stars (IRE) has a Melbourne Cup pedigree - image Bradley Photography

The 7YO daughter of Sea the Stars was bought by Yulong for 1.65million guineas at the 2024 Tattersalls December Mares Sale and had just two Australian starts in the autumn, the second of which was a third in the Sydney Cup.

Her previous Euro form was excellent over long distances and by that I mean she doesn’t get hot until she gets to 2400m, but from that point she has a great record including a second in the Group I Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp.

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She kicked off her Melbourne Cup prep with a seventh last Saturday in the Listed MRC Heatherlie Stakes over 1700m, which was a passmark, but keep an eye out for her when she gets into her preferred distance range.

Chris Waller Melbourne Cup entries, just three of them were bred in Australia and Belle Detelle, was foaled here but has a Kiwi pedigree being a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Waller's Melbourne Cup winning Australian Horse of the Year Verry Elleegant. 

Horse

Sex

Age

Sire

AELIANA (NZ)

M

4

Castelvecchio

ANISETTE (GB)

M

6

Awtaad

ASTERIX (NZ)

G

7

Tavistock

BELLE DETELLE

M

4

Zed

BIRDMAN (IRE)

G

5

Free Eagle

BUCKAROO (GB)

G

7

Fastnet Rock

ETNA ROSSO (IRE)

G

6

Decorated Knight

FEMMINILE

M

4

Dundeel

FULL COUNT FELICIA (USA)

M

7

War Front

GOLDEN CENTURY (NZ)

G

4

Pierro

HUTCHENCE (GB)

G

5

Frankel

KADAVAR (NZ)

G

5

Tarzino

KINESIOLOGY (GB)

G

5

Study of Man

KOVALICA (NZ)

G

6

Ocean Park

LAND LEGEND (FR)

G

6

Galileo

LEICA LUCY (NZ)

M

4

Derryn

MILITARIZE (NZ)

G

5

Dundeel

MOIRA (CAN)

M

7

Ghostzapper

MORE FELONS (IRE)

G

7

Churchill

REAL CLASS (NZ)

M

4

Vadamos

RIVER OF STARS (IRE)

M

7

Sea the Stars

STAR OF INDIA (IRE)

G

7

Galileo

SWELTERING

M

4

Too Darn Hot (GB)

TAJANIS (IRE)

G

6

Australia

TRINITY COLLEGE (IRE)

H

4

Dubawi

VALIANT KING (GB)

G

6

Roaring Lion

VIA SISTINA (IRE)

M

8

Fastnet Rock

See the full list of Melbourne Cup nominations below:

Horse

Sex

Age

Trainer

1

ABSURDE (FR)

G

8

Willie Mullins

2

ADELAIDE RIVER (IRE)

G

6

Kris Lees

3

AELIANA (NZ)

M

4

Chris Waller

4

AFTERMATH (IRE)

H

4

Aidan O'Brien

5

AGE OF SAIL (GB)

G

7

Kris Lees

6

AL RIFFA (FR)

H

6

Joseph O'Brien

7

ALALCANCE (GB)

M

6

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott

8

ANISETTE (GB)

M

6

Chris Waller

9

ANTRIM COAST (NZ)

G

5

Steve Richards

10

ARAPAHO (FR)

G

9

Bjorn Baker

11

ASTERIX (NZ)

G

7

Chris Waller

12

ATHABASCAN (FR)

G

7

John O'Shea & Tom Charlton

13

AUGUSTUS (GER)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

14

BASILINNA (NZ)

M

5

Emma-Lee & David Browne

15

BELLE DETELLE

M

4

Chris Waller

16

BELVEDERE BOYS

G

6

Matthew Dunn

17

BIRDMAN (IRE)

G

5

Chris Waller

18

BRAYDEN STAR (GB)

G

7

Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young

19

BUCKAROO (GB)

G

7

Chris Waller

20

BUR DUBAI (GB)

G

5

Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)

21

CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (IRE)

G

7

Kris Lees

22

CHEVALIER ROSE (JPN)

H

8

Hisashi Shimizu

23

CHIEF LITTLE ROCK (IRE)

G

5

Anthony & Sam Freedman

24

CLEVELAND (IRE)

G

8

Kris Lees

25

COUNTRY'S LIGHT

G

7

Tetyana Furdetska

26

DEAKIN (FR)

G

6

Phillip Stokes

27

DISTRUSTFUL AWARD

G

6

Peter Luttrell

28

DON DIEGO DE VEGA (FR)

G

6

Annabel & Rob Archibald

29

DURAJI (IRE)

H

5

Dermot K Weld

30

ENCODER

G

5

Michael Freedman

31

EPIC POET (IRE)

G

7

David O'Meara

32

ETNA ROSSO (IRE)

G

6

Chris Waller

33

EUPHORIC

G

6

Greg Eurell

34

FEMMINILE

M

4

Chris Waller

35

FERNAO (IRE)

G

7

Annabel & Rob Archibald

36

FIRST IMMORTAL

G

6

Mark & Levi Kavanagh

37

FLATTEN THE CURVE (FR)

G

7

Henk Grewe

38

FLYING BANDIT

G

5

Kerry Parker

39

FULL COUNT FELICIA (USA)

M

7

Chris Waller

40

FURTHUR (IRE)

H

4

Andrew Balding

41

GILDED WATER (GB)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

42

GO DADDY (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

43

GOLDEN CENTURY (NZ)

G

4

Chris Waller

44

GOLDEN PATH (NZ)

G

6

Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)

45

GOLDEN SNAP (JPN)

M

6

Katsunori Tanaka

46

GOOD BANTER (NZ)

M

5

John O'Shea & Tom Charlton

47

GOODIE TWO SHOES (IRE)

M

7

Joseph O'Brien

48

GRAND PIERRO

G

6

Jason Warren

49

HALF YOURS

G

5

Tony & Calvin McEvoy

50

HARBOUR WIND (IRE)

G

6

Dermot K Weld

51

HIPOP DE LOIRE (FR)

G

9

Willie Mullins

52

HUTCHENCE (GB)

G

5

Chris Waller

53

INTERPRETATION (IRE)

G

8

Ciaron Maher

54

JENNIVAMOOSE (NZ)

M

6

Ciaron Maher

55

JUJA KIBO (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

56

KADAVAR (NZ)

G

5

Chris Waller

57

KINESIOLOGY (GB)

G

5

Chris Waller

58

KINGS VALLEY (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

59

KNIGHT'S CHOICE

G

6

John Symons & Sheila Laxon

60

KOVALICA (NZ)

G

6

Chris Waller

61

LA CRIQUE (NZ)

M

7

Simon Alexander

62

LAND LEGEND (FR)

G

6

Chris Waller

63

LASPIRIT DEELER

M

5

Lee & Cherie Curtis

64

LASTOTCHKA (FR)

M

7

Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)

65

LEICA LUCY (NZ)

M

4

Chris Waller

66

LITZDEEL

M

4

Danny O'Brien

67

MARK TWAIN (NZ)

G

6

Roger James & Robert Wellwood

68

MEYDAAN (IRE)

H

5

Simon Crisford

69

MIDDLE EARTH (GB)

G

6

Ciaron Maher

70

MILITARIZE (NZ)

G

5

Chris Waller

71

MISTER WOLFGANG (NZ)

G

7

Peter McKay

72

MOIRA (CAN)

M

7

Chris Waller

73

MORE FELONS (IRE)

G

7

Chris Waller

74

MORMONA (FR)

G

7

Annabel & Rob Archibald

75

MOUNT KILIMANJARO (FR)

H

4

Aidan O'Brien

76

MUKTAMIL (IRE)

G

6

Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young

77

NAVAL COLLEGE (GB)

G

7

Annabel & Rob Archibald

78

NEWLOOK (FR)

G

5

Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young

79

NIKAU SPUR (NZ)

G

9

Corey & Kylie Geran

80

NO RUMOURS

G

5

Paul Preusker

81

OKITA SOUSHI (IRE)

H

8

Ciaron Maher

82

ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA)

G

8

Brian Ellison

83

OUR ANCHORAGE (IRE)

G

7

Bjorn Baker

84

OUR GOLD HOPE

M

5

Robert & Luke Price

85

PARCHMENT PARTY (USA)

H

5

William Mott

86

POINT KING (IRE)

G

7

Anthony & Sam Freedman

87

POST IMPRESSIONIST (IRE)

G

7

Anthony & Sam Freedman

88

PRESAGE NOCTURNE (IRE)

H

6

Alessandro Botti

89

QUIETNESS (GB)

M

6

John O'Shea & Tom Charlton

90

REAL CLASS (NZ)

M

4

Chris Waller

91

RED ACES

G

4

Nick Ryan

92

REVELARE

G

5

Robert Hickmott

93

RIVER OF STARS (IRE)

M

7

Chris Waller

94

ROYAL SUPREMACY (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

95

SAV ON ICE

H

4

Darryl Carrison

96

SAYEDATY SADATY (IRE)

G

5

Ciaron Maher

97

SCANDINAVIA (USA)

H

4

Aidan O'Brien

98

SCARY (NZ)

H

4

Emma-Lee & David Browne

99

SHARP 'N' SMART (NZ)

G

6

Graeme Rogerson

100

SIR DELIUS (GB)

H

5

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott

101

SMOKIN' ROMANS (NZ)

G

9

Ciaron Maher

102

SO YOU ARE

G

4

Stirling Osland

103

STAR OF INDIA (IRE)

G

7

Chris Waller

104

STAR VEGA (IRE)

G

6

Anthony & Sam Freedman

105

STATUARIO

G

4

Emma-Lee & David Browne

106

SWELTERING

M

4

Chris Waller

107

TABLETALK (IRE)

H

5

Tom Clover

108

TAJANIS (IRE)

G

6

Chris Waller

109

TAPILDOODLEDO (NZ)

G

6

Kerry Taplin

110

THE MAP

M

7

Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray

111

THEDOCTOROFLOVE

G

4

Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young

112

TORRANZINO (NZ)

G

6

Paul Preusker

113

TRAV (NZ)

G

6

Raymond Connors

114

TREASURETHE MOMENT

M

4

Matt Laurie

115

TRINITY COLLEGE (IRE)

H

4

Chris Waller

116

VALIANT KING (GB)

G

6

Chris Waller

117

VAUBAN (FR)

G

8

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott

118

VIA SISTINA (IRE)

M

8

Chris Waller

119

WHISKY ON THE HILL (GB)

G

6

Glen Thompson

120

ZARDOZI

M

5

Ciaron Maher

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