Travolta set for quick back-up in the 2025 Wyong Cup
Improving stayer Travolta is expected to line up in Friday’s Wyong Cup (2100m) after producing a decisive performance at Rosehill for Chris Waller’s team.
Carrying topweight of 59.5kg (with Siena Grima’s three-kilo claim), Travolta ($6.50) swept down the outside to win the Wests Group Macarthur Handicap (2000m) by 1-1/4 lengths. She’s Unusual ($10) claimed second, with stablemate Tazima ($2.20 fav) a further three-quarters of a length away in third.
Waller’s right-hand man Charlie Duckworth said the gelding continued to impress. “He keeps ticking the boxes and progressing and to tell you the truth, we don’t really know how far he can go,” Duckworth said. “He is a very exciting horse. He seems to be very push-button. It was good to see him do it on a dry track today because… when he started winning at the beginning of the prep you’re thinking, is he just a wet tracker? He obviously isn’t so he’s got a very bright future. He might back up and go to Wyong on Friday.”
It was a memorable moment for apprentice Grima, who notched her first Saturday metropolitan success just weeks after her maiden midweek win. Ironically, she had been denied on Travolta by James McDonald on Amusing two starts ago. “She was shattered to have come up against ‘J Mac’ last time and they had a bit of a match again today so delighted for her and delighted for the owners,” Duckworth said.
The Waller stable looks set to launch a strong team into the Wyong Cup, with Saltcoats, Tajanis and Hutchins all considered likely runners, the race carrying crucial Big Dance eligibility.
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