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Source: justhorseracing.com.au
Sixties, the talented colt, impressed with a dominant effort but Waller’s previous eight winners of the feature three-year-old race were all fillies starting with all-time great Winx in 2015.
Waller also won the race with Foxplay (2017), Unforgotten (2018), Verry Elleegant (2019), Funstar (2020), Hungry Heart (2021), Zougotcha (2023) and Lazzura (2025).
Sixties ($1.65 favourite) was made to work early to cross from a wide barrier and settle outside the leader where champion jockey James Mcdonald controlled the race before the colt scored by three-quarters of a length from the fast-finishing Federalist ($41) with Cellarmaster ($26) a half length away third.
Only 35 minutes after Sixties’ win, Waller and McDonald combined to win the Group 1 Coolmore Classic with Lazzura.
This continued Waller’s remarkable Phar Lap Stakes as all eight fillies he trained to win the race also won at Group 1 level.
Sixties gets his chance to be Waller’s ninth Phar Lap Stakes winner to also be successful at Group 1 level when he goes to the $4 million Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April 4.
Sixties gets into the Doncaster with only 49kg and can’t be re-handicapped for his Phar Lap Stakes win.
Waller revealed Rachel King has been booked to ride Sixties in the Doncaster.
Sixties was coming off a close third in the Group 1 Australian Guineas and confirmed his class with a strong Phar Lap Stakes effort.
“Things didn’t really work out in the Australian Guineas, like today, he’s had bad draws and it just makes it harder,” Waller said.
I think his best win was when we rode him quiet. But today, being a short priced favourite, we’ve got three weeks into the Doncaster I thought ‘oh well we’ll try you up again on the speed.’
“But ideally in the Doncaster we’ll ride him more conservatively. He’s got to go to a new level in the Doncaster but he’s very well weighted.”
McDonald, who rode a record sixth Phar Lap Stakes winner and his fifth for the Waller stable, was full of praise for Sixties post-trace.
“He would be a lot better off being a bit further back in the run,” Waller said.
“But obviously he’s a classy horse, he’s just come on leaps and bounds from each run he’s had and he’s a gorgeous colt to boot.
:When ridden a bit quieter you’d really see a lethal performance. Obviously it was a bit tradesman-like today but there’s room to improve.”
McDonald agreed Sixties will be very competitive in the Doncaster Mile with only 49kg.
“If he’s ridden three or four pairs back in a Doncaster on nice ground he would come out and run extremely well,” McDonald said.
“Ideally, I think his best trip is six furlongs to 1400m and he’s just getting that mile on ability at the moment.
“But he travelled really comfortably today, he’s just so honest, you can’t teach that. He’s got a heart of a lion. “