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WA Breds Strike Again as Waller Sweeps the Group Ones

Mark Smith - Saturday October 5

Former Western Australians have been in red-hot form of late and quite often have been a dagger to the heart of punters but the Blackfriars gelding Come Play With Me had a legion of supporters to give Chris Waller a clean sweep of the day's four Group 1 races in The Metropolitan (2600m) at Randwick and he didn't disappoint.

Given the run of the race by Brenton Avdulla, Come Play With Me defeated the Archie Alexander-trained Gallic Chieftain (FR) (Tamayuz) by a long-head with Sir Charles Road (Myboycharlie) a long-neck back in third. (images Steve Hart ). 

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Winner of little more than a pair of Listed races in the west, Come Play With Me was having his third start for Waller.

But he had come to Sydney in fine form having registered his fourth straight win when he beat the future Group 1 winner Gatting by more than two lengths in the Swan River Vase (2200m) at Belmont Park on July 13 when he was trained by his owner/breeder Adam Durrant.

Avdulla said he was thrilled when he picked up the ride on the Blackfriars gelding. 


"I thought this was the horse I wanted to ride with the weights, I was very lucky to have Chris put me on him" Avdulla said.

"Things didn't go right pre-race, he jumped and was a pair further back than I wanted to be, I knew I couldn't go around them to win it, so I just had to ride through them.

"He was there to win the race halfway up the straight and Tommy (Berry on Gallic Chieftain) put a margin on him, but to his credit he kicked back and fought on."

Come Play With Me advances his record to 13 wins, 3 seconds and 2 thirds from 30 starts with earnings of $1,246,840.

He is the best of three winners from four to race out of the stakes-winning Dr Johnson mare Russian Playmate whose six wins included the Listed WATC La Trice Classic and Listed Starstruck Classic.

Russian Playmate visited Blackfriars for eight consecutive seasons before the Victoria Derby winner died in December 2017. She was actually covered by him four weeks before his death but missed.

Russian Playmate recently foaled a Snippetson colt.

Come Play With Me is the third Group 1 winner for Blackfriars (Danehill) following the old marvel, 6-time Group 1 winner, Black Heart Bart, and the dual WATC Kingston Town Classic winner Playing God.

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