Everest contender Arcadia Queen is touted to be next in line for Winx's throne. And she didn't let her fans down, charging to a dominant win in the Gr.2 Theo Marks Stakes in her Sydney debut at Rosehill on Saturday.
Arcadia Queen loomed up three-wide on the turn then sprinted clear to win by nearly two lengths from the fast finishing Trope with Gem Song a neck away third. The winner ran the Rosehill 1300m in 1min14.96sec. just 0.04sec outside Deploy’s track record.
Waller said Arcadia Queen is unlikely to head back to the races. He said he would talk with owner-breeder Bob Peters before making a final decision whether Arcadia Queen has another start before she arrives at Randwick for the A$14 million The Everest where she will represent The Star slot.
“I’ll have a good chat to Bob, he knows the horses better than me,” Waller said.
“Our plan was not to over race her and I don’t want to take the speed out of her because we’ve got an Everest over 1200m.
“I don’t think she’ll be running again but I’ll have a chat to him.”
The last time winning rider James McDonald won the Theo Marks Stakes was in 2015. He was in the saddle when Winx began her rise to super stardom in this very race four years ago. And the moment wasn’t lost on last season’s champion jockey.
“She’s beautiful to ride and I love how she pins the ears back and has a good crack — a bit like the horse I won this race on (Winx).” said McDonald.
1. Arcadia Queen (J: James McDonald, T: Chris Waller), 2. Trope (J: Tommy Berry, T: Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes), 3. Gem Song (J: Nash Rawiller, T: Kris Lees), 4. Redouble (J: Tim Clark, T: Bjorn Baker)
Distance: 1,300 metres, Surface: Turf, Track: Right-handed, Qualification: Three year old and older, Weight: Quality handicap, Purse: A$200,000 (2018), Bonuses: Exempt from ballot in the Epsom Handicap