Expressway Stakes the ‘Way to go early for Joliestar

Chris Waller’s Apollo Stakes contenders will take center stage at Randwick this Saturday, but the champion trainer also has strong support in the day’s other $300,000 Group 2 races.

Joliestar has been entered for the 1400-metre Apollo alongside Via Sistina, Fangirl, and Atishu, but is set to begin her campaign in the 1200m Expressway Stakes.

The four-year-old is one of three Waller-trained horses in the Expressway, joining likely starter Olentia and Lindermann, who is also nominated for the Apollo Stakes.

Joliestar, a Group 1 winner over 1600m in the 2023 Thousand Guineas, showcased her talent with an explosive first-up victory in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) last season. She was also unlucky in The Everest (1200m), where she finished seventh.

Hall of Fame trainer Waller is still determining the best path for the daughter of Zoustar this autumn and hopes the first two runs of the campaign will provide clarity.

“We’re still working out whether we’ll get her out to a mile,” Waller said.

“She’s got a lot of speed and I’d say we’ll go to the Canterbury Stakes second-up.

“If she wins that, then she’ll probably go to the TJ, if not she’ll probably head down the mares’ path.”

The $750,000 Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) takes place at Randwick on March 8, while the $3 million Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) follows at the same venue on April 5.

The ‘mares races’ under consideration for Joliestar include the $1 million Coolmore Classic (1500m), a handicap event at Rosehill on March 15, and the weight-for-age $1 million Queen Of The Turf (1600m) at Randwick on April 12.

Magic Time is another Group 1 winner entered for the Expressway Stakes, while Joe Pride’s King Charles III Stakes champion Ceolwulf stands out as a key contender outside the Waller team in the Apollo Stakes entries.

Also on the Randwick program is another $300,000 Group 2 event, the Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) for three-year-old fillies. Waller’s Flight Stakes winner Lady Shenandoah headlines the field, alongside last year’s Golden Slipper champion Lady Of Camelot.