Trainer Chris Waller will saddle-up nearly half the field in Saturday’s Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) including the clear top elect in betting Durston.
Wyong Cup – Newcastle Cup double winner Durston is favourite in 2022 The Metropolitan betting this weekend in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.
Waller has prepared four previous The Metropolitan winners including most recently his back-to-back victories with Patrick Erin (2018) and Come Play With Me (2019).
This weekend the master horseman plays a strong hand with seven final acceptors in the 15-horse field.
British-bred Sea The Moon seven-year-old Durston remains only lightly-raced having won five of his 14 starts so far.
His latest two wins have come back-to-back in the lead-up to his Group 1 test on Saturday with success in both the Listed Wyong Cup (2100m) and Group 3 Newcastle Cup (2300m) by a combined margin of nearly five lengths.
The in-form stayer carries a two-kilogram penalty but is still well-weighted with 53kg and jumps from barrier eight with Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle.
Durston sits top of the latest The Metropolitan betting markets at $3.60 through Ladbrokes.com.au.
Favourites have a poor record in the event with just two saluting since 2005.
Waller’s other runners are No Compromise, Surefire well supported despite a wide barrier 13 draw, Francesco Guardi in the outside alley, Chalk Stream and former Queensland Derby champ Kukeracha drawn the rails.
Carrying top-weight from gate four with Sam Clipperton aboard is the Joe Pride-trained Stockman with 56.5kg.
Stockman occupies the second line of The Metropolitan betting at $7.50.
The six-year-old son of Tavistock was runner-up to Duais in the autumn’s Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) over the distance at Newcastle and was last seen finishing fourth in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m).
Runner-up in that key lead-up and one-time second elect for The Metropolitan, the John O’Shea-trained grey Benaud was a notable non-omission from the Group 1 field.
O’Shea informed Racing NSW stewards on Tuesday morning that the galloper would not be accepted for following an accidental dose of a prohibited substance.
“Mr O’Shea has informed Stewards that Benaud was inadvertently treated with a medication this morning containing a prohibited substance and therefore is unable to compete in the event,” NSW stewards reported.
The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Grove Ferry is rated a $13 shot on the quick back-up from his ballot exempting victory in last weekend’s Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) at Rosehill.
The Excelebration gelding is on the 51kg minimum on Saturday and is out to be the first horse to complete the Colin Stephen – The Metropolitan Handicap double since Railings (2005).
Waterhouse & Bott are also represented in the field by Pierro six-year-old Sacramento coming off a fourth placing behind Durston in the Newcastle Cup.
Co-trainer Waterhouse has a remarkable record in The Metropolitan having prepared eight previous winners, her latest of which was Glencadam Gold (2012).
Ciaron Maher & David Eustace also launch a two-pronged attack on the mile and a half feature with the winter’s Caloundra Cup winner Le Don De Vie ($12) and Newcastle Cup fifth place-getter Mankayan ($13) drawn in barriers three and 12 respectively.
