Jockey Kathy O’Hara enjoyed her third career Group 1 lunging late in a thrilling 2023 Epsom Handicap result to secure the mile classic aboard the in-form Chris Waller-trained Rediener.
2023 Epsom Handicap winner Rediener handed Waller his fifth win in the mile classic. Photo: Steve Hart.
Four-year-old Rediener went around as an underrated $9.50 hope in this year’s Group 1 $1.5 million Epsom Handicap (1600m) despite a last start win fresh in the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) on September 16.
He franked that form with a lovely on-speed run in the Royal Randwick feature on Saturday getting to the line just in time to hold out his fast-finishing stablemate Kovalica ($10).
“When he (Rediener) won in Queensland we set him for this race, but setting horses for races is not easy,” Waller told Sky Thoroughbred Central post-victory.
“But to see him win like he did first-up it gave us a little bit of hope and the barrier draw (gate 2) was obviously a plus.”
O’Hara had Rediener sitting in a prime position before making her move on the straight to close inside the final 50m.
Golden Mile looked like he was going to lead from barrier to box off a gun ride by Blake Shinn with the galloper hitting another gear on the straight before being nudged out right on the line by Waller’s two.
The winter’s Queensland Derby champ Kovalica improved on his first-up run when unplaced in the Theo Marks slashing home wider out late in a good sign as he gets over more ground this spring.
Golden Mile was brave holding for third in the Epsom Handicap trifecta.
Waller was thrilled for O’Hara and equally as happy to take home his fifth Epsom Handicap trophy.
“Very special for Kathy (O’Hara), Charlie’s (Duckworth) wife. It’s great, Kathy is just an amazing toiler. Sydney racing 52 weeks a year she just gives it her best, amazing horse person. Gives you great feedback, she lives on a horse. Charlie is obviously so close to me,” the now 152-time Group 1 winning trainer said.
2023 Epsom Handicap Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | REDIENER | Chris Waller | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 2 | 50kg | $9.50 | |||
| 2 | 10 | KOVALICA (NZ) | Chris Waller | Joao Moreira | 0.07L | 7 | 54kg | $10 | ||
| 3 | 6 | GOLDEN MILE | James Cummings | Blake Shinn | 0.23L | 17 | 55kg | $16 | ||
| 4 | 18 | BARBIE’S FOX | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Dean Yendall | 1.22L | 4 | 50kg | $51 | ||
| 5 | 16 | DEMOCRACY MANIFEST | Chris Waller | Tyler Schiller | 1.28L | 1 | 51.5kg | 1.5kg | $9 | |
| 6 | 8 | HOPE IN YOUR HEART | Kerry Parker | Craig Williams | 1.92L | 10 | 54kg | $7.50EF | ||
| 7 | 1 | MY OBERON (IRE) | Annabel Neasham | Chad Schofield | 2.01L | 15 | 56kg | $21 | ||
| 8 | 3 | THE INEVITABLE | John Keys | David Pires | 2.63L | 8 | 55.5kg | $9 | ||
| 9 | 21e | WILLIAMSBURG | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | Andrew Adkins | 3.37L | 3 | 50kg | $31 | ||
| 10 | 11 | NUGGET (GB) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Damien Oliver | 4.03L | 16 | 54kg | $7.50EF | ||
| 11 | 12 | POUNDING | Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | Ms Jamie Kah | 4.06L | 13 | 54kg | $10 | ||
| 12 | 9 | DIAMIL (IRE) | John O’Shea | Jason Collett | 4.36L | 5 | 54kg | $91 | ||
| 13 | 5 | CONVERGE | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 4.75L | 9 | 55kg | $11 | ||
| 14 | 7 | KIRWAN’S LANE (NZ) | John O’Shea | Tom Sherry | 5.83L | 11 | 54.5kg | $51 | ||
| 15 | 13 | COMMUNIST | Michael Freedman | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 6.28L | 6 | 53.5kg | $19 | ||
| 16 | 22e | POLITICAL DEBATE | Chris Waller | Ms Rachel King | 6.33L | 18 | 50kg | $201 | ||
| 17 | 15 | MADAME POMMERY | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 7.22L | 14 | 51.5kg | $41 | ||
| 18 | 4 | GOING GLOBAL (IRE) | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 7.41L | 12 | 55kg (cd 55.5kg) | $31 | ||
| 2 | PERICLES | James Cummings | Nash Rawiller | 0 | ||||||
| 14 | DUKE DE SESSA (IRE) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Regan Bayliss | 0 | ||||||
| 19 | WATERFORD (IRE) | Chris Waller | Zac Lloyd (a) | 0 | ||||||
| 20 | OLENTIA | Chris Waller | Jay Ford | 0 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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