Aethelwulf's debut a dominant city success

Matt Smith, known for his patient training methods, will not hasten Aethelwulf's progression despite the promising stayer's commanding win at Canterbury.

Having competed only five times previously and making his city debut, Aethelwulf, the $1.26 favourite, secured a dominant five-length victory over Forbidden Riff ($14) in Wednesday's Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1900m), earning a swift elevation to Saturday class.

Smith had harboured doubts pre-race that the compact Canterbury circuit might not suit the four-year-old, but these fears proved unfounded as his inherent class prevailed.

"He's a big baby but he's got a motor. He handled (Canterbury) well," Smith said. "Once you get one-off (the fence), your worries are over. You just find a nice rhythm and find that gait where they're comfortable. He's going places, isn't he?"

The trainer confirmed that Aethelwulf would be stepped up in both distance and class, with a Saturday metropolitan race over 2000 metres now firmly on the agenda.

The colt was briefly considered a candidate for the Derby following a second-place finish on debut at Goulburn in December, but his lack of maturity at the time dashed those aspirations.

"I liked him, and I was wondering if he'd get there, but after that race he fell apart a bit, so we just put him away," Smith remarked. "He only had one run, and he was just backward."

Elsewhere, Chris Waller also unveiled an exciting late-developing talent in Phantom Major, a four-year-old by Snitzel, who surged home from the back to win the Schweppes Handicap (1200m) on just his second start.

Such is the respect for the horse, he remains entire, and Waller intends to target early carnival races with him.

"The owners wouldn't let me geld him because they think he's got quite a bit of ability. So we'll just try to keep building his value," Waller explained. "It's the right time of the year to be joining in. He would be taking on some of the better horses with a run under his belt."

Phantom Major ($5) narrowly defeated the Smith-trained Queen's Gamble ($3.90) by 1-1/2 lengths, marking the first leg of an early double for Waller and jockey James McDonald, with the Godolphin mare Glissando following suit 35 minutes later.

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