O’Reilly Galloper Said Com Ultra Impressive

Reigning Champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller experienced the highs and lows of racing yesterday, writes Darryl Sherer.

Having had the misfortune of having to rule his dual Group 1 winner My Kingdom Of Fife (Kingmambo) out for the rest of the Spring due to injury, Waller went to Canterbury and saddled Said Com (O’Reilly) to score an impressive win on debut.

Having sat back off the early speed, Said Com (3 g O’Reilly – Centa Belt, by Centaine) came with a smooth challenge in the straight to strike the front and then go clear inside the final 100m, eventually scoring by two and a quarter lengths over Toffler (O’Reilly) to give the Waikato Stud stallion a 1-2 in the three-year-old Maiden (1250m).

“We paid good money for him at the New Zealand sales and we always thought he goes quite well,” Waller explained on TVN. “He’s always shown us a lot of ability at home but still does a few things wrong and was still soft today having only had one trial.”

Waller paid $290,000 for Said Com as a yearling from the Waikato Stud draft at the 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, the same venue as the runner-up Toffler who cost a bid more at $300,000. A three-quarter brother to the Rangitikei Gold Cup (L, 1600m) winner Buckle Your Belt (O’Reilly), Said Com is out of a half-sister to classic winner Master Belt (Masterclass), winner of the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and the Listed winners Buckle Your Belt (O’Reilly) and Minnie Belt (Oregon).

Hugh Bowman was more enthusiastic.

“He was ultra-impressive,” the jockey said, adding, “the last horse that gave me a feel like that was Do You Think.” Bowman’s words can give Waller some comfort as Do You Think (Starcraft) inflicted the only defeat so far on Manawanui (Oratorio) when winning on debut under Bowman at Canterbury in March before going on to win at Group 3 level.

Bowman started the day well with a winner when Shuswap (3 f Pins – Monashee, by Woodman) was untroubled to break her maiden in the opening race on the card. Shuswap has been racing in Group class with credit, and she and Said Com made it a winning double for Waikato Stud stallions in the first two races.

“Shuswap was coming back in grade and going by her form she looked like a good thing today,” Bowman said. “I thought she was definitely my best ride today, but it would appear now that the second one (Said Com) was. He was ultra-impressive.”

Story courtesy of ANZ Newsletter 6 October 2011