The four big stables of Chris Waller, Darren Weir, Robert Hickmott and the Lindsay Park Team together have over half of the seventy-three nominations for the 2017 Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on September 30.

Antonio Giuseppe, above, is pone the Chris Waller team nominated for The Metropolitan at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

Antonio Giuseppe, above, is pone the Chris Waller team nominated for The Metropolitan at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller has nine, Victoria’s leading trainer Darren Weir has eleven, the in-form Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig have ten while Lloyd Williams’ private trainer Robert Hickmott has nominated ten, all European imported horses.

Waller’s main hopes at this early stage look like being Antonio Giuseppe, Irish import Life Less Ordinary, Up ‘N’ Rolling and Tom Melbourne as well as his veteran stayers Who Shot Thebarman and Libran.

Weir also looks to have a strong hand with last start winners Master Zephyr and Pacodali as well as the French import Guardini who ran home solidly for a last start second to Hell Or Highwater in the Listed $120,000 Dream Thoroughbred Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield last Saturday.

Harlem, a last start fifth in the Heatherlie Stakes and Harlow Gold, a last start fourth over 1500m at The Valley on August 26, head up the Lindsay Park Team’s Metropolitan nominations.

The Robert Hickmott Team nominated for The Metropolitan is headed up by the 2016 Sydney Cup winner Gallante, Our Century and last start Flemington 2000m winner Aloft.

Nominations for the 2017 The Metropolitan (2400m)

# Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 31214×4233 ADMIRAL JELLO G 5 Kris Lees 80
2 5543321×80 ALLERGIC G 6 James Cummings 106
3 x7x39x12x1 ALOFT (IRE) G 6 Robert Hickmott –
4 12634×5411 ALWARD (IRE) G 5 Chris Waller 78
5 11x4214x83 AMELIE’S STAR M 6 Darren Weir –
6 x0x0D71x00 AMRALAH (IRE) H 8 Robert Hickmott –
7 11x354965x ANAHEIM H 4 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young –
8 12x1240x54 ANTONIO GIUSEPPE (NZ) G 5 Chris Waller 103
9 15x0x010x5 ARTICUS (FR) G 6 Darren Weir –
10 x9210x71x0 ASSIGN (IRE) G 7 Robert Hickmott –
11 80×5008641 AUVRAY (FR) G 7 Richard Freedman 92
12 21121113×5 BIG DUKE (IRE) G 6 Darren Weir –
13 0x11x330x9 BONDI BEACH (IRE) G 6 Robert Hickmott –
14 11516510×3 BOOM TIME H 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
15 31x65123x8 BROADSIDE (NZ) G 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 87
16 2×89141355 CHARLEVOIX G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
17 21x37301x3 CHOCANTE (NZ) G 5 Stephen Marsh 103
18 122×232521 CISMONTANE (NZ) G 5 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott –
19 3144×80222 CLASSIC UNIFORM G 5 Gary Moore 98
20 65225223×5 COOL CHAP G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
21 x1x1x21x32 CROCODILE ROCK (IRE) G 6 Robert Hickmott –
22 x228x8x017 DEE I CEE (NZ) G 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott –
23 131×976341 DESTINY’S KISS G 9 Joseph Pride –
24 x4621x30x4 DOUKHAN (IRE) G 9 Kris Lees 75
25 12210×6791 EMBLEY G 6 Bjorn Baker 86
26 x9065227x3 ETYMOLOGY G 5 James Cummings 90
27 100×402611 EUREKA STREET G 4 Robert Smerdon –
28 0184260×50 FANATIC (NZ) M 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
29 14112132×7 FIRENZE M 6 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young –
30 0x533x0x03 FOUNDATION (IRE) G 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
31 9x830x33x2 FOUNDRY (IRE) G 8 Robert Hickmott –
32 9x031x270x GALLANTE (IRE) G 7 Robert Hickmott 107
33 x820x076x0 GREY LION (IRE) H 6 Matt Cumani –
34 x80x621x02 GUARDINI (FR) H 7 Darren Weir –
35 x00x4131x5 HANS HOLBEIN (GB) G 6 Robert Hickmott –
36 2384x386x5 HARLEM (GB) H 6 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
37 62x34340x4 HARLOW GOLD (NZ) M 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
38 212652×577 HARPER’S CHOICE H 4 Gerald Ryan 89
39 2x9x173511 KELLSTORM (IRE) H 5 Darren Weir –
40 6x1164x362 KILIMANJARO (IRE) G 6 Robert Hickmott –
41 41x75459x7 KINEMA (IRE) G 7 Chris Waller 97
42 12x8746Px6 LIBRAN (IRE) G 7 Chris Waller 107
43 841x122x25 LIFE LESS ORDINARY (IRE) G 6 Chris Waller 92
44 79520449×0 LORD VAN PERCY (GB) G 8 Darren Weir –
45 1213×00943 LORESHO (FR) H 7 Darren Weir –
46 244×306321 MASTER ZEPHYR (GB) G 6 Darren Weir –
47 9028x337x7 MAURUS (GB) G 7 John P Thompson 101
48 5624x128x1 MEGABLAST (NZ) G 6 Nigel Tiley –
49 35x2111x08 MONTOYA’S SECRET M 4 Leon & Troy Corstens –
50 x025094221 MY DIAMANTINE (NZ) M 7 Brian Smith –
51 2x513x412x OUR CENTURY (IRE) G 7 Robert Hickmott 96
52 186×315111 PACODALI (IRE) G 5 Darren Weir –
53 114x4197x8 RAW IMPULSE (GB) H 6 Darren Weir –
54 6748x111x7 ROMAN SON G 4 Anthony & Edward Cummings 70
55 41231x2x2 SAMOVARE M 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
56 0x12121123 SAYED (USA) G 5 Chris Waller –
57 4282x060x0 SEABURGE H 4 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
58 353324658x SHALMANESER G 7 Richard Litt 78
59 x227x090x5 SINGING (FR) H 8 Kris Lees –
60 231 SOCIAL ELEMENT (NZ) G 4 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 64
61 11x212411x STAMPEDE H 5 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 99
62 7405142142 SUPER HAZE (IRE) G 6 Tony McEvoy –
63 3x37710x24 TALLY G 5 James Cummings –
64 61x00x518x TAVAGO (NZ) G 5 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 110
65 5744023412 THE GETAWAY G 4 Paul Perry –
66 522x0121x6 TIME TO TEST G 7 Tony McEvoy –
67 23x6905x22 TOM MELBOURNE (IRE) G 7 Chris Waller 103
68 5241x32x11 UP ’N’ ROLLING (NZ) G 5 Chris Waller 78
69 2482x542x9 VENGEUR MASQUE (IRE) G 6 Michael Moroney –
70 601121x5x7 VENTURA STORM (IRE) H 5 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig –
71 1135754182 WAHNG WAH M 5 Kris Lees 78
72 255x3642x9 WHO SHOT THEBARMAN (NZ) G 9 Chris Waller 108
73 2168×21131 YOGI (NZ) G 5 Darren Weir –

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.