After Rediener won the race 12 months ago, the Chris Waller barn have picked up back-to-back wins in the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m), with Mchale ($26.00) powering between horses to claim victory at Randwick on Saturday afternoon.
The son of Shooting To Win was first-up after a 98-day spell, bringing residual fitness from the Queensland winter, and a very similar profile to last year’s winner coming through the Group 3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 15.
Felix Majestic ($19.00) was the one attempting to make every post a winner under Molly Bourke and gave a strong kick heading into the home straight, while Kintyre ($16.00) was brave throughout, sitting three-wide no cover throughout the journey.
Mchale settled slightly worse than mid-field in the middle stages, while the well-supported favourite Tom Kitten ($3.70) was forced to sit back-and-wide throughout the contest.
The four-year-old gelding needed to navigate a passage through a wall of horses in the final 400m, with Rachel King utilizing timing her ride to perfection, as the Ciaron Maher-trained Gringotts ($4.60) launched to make it a grandstand finish.
The pair could only be separated by a photo, with Mchale getting the nod by the barest of margins, claiming victory and booking his ticket for the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) later in the spring.
2024 Group 3 Bill Ritchie Stakes Replay – Mchale
Chris Waller was on course to represent the stable and spoke to the lack of luck Mchale had in Queensland before praising the ride of Rachel King.
“He’s always been thereabouts and not had a lot of luck,” said Waller.
“Things went against him in Queensland.
“It was a great ride from Rachel, saved every inch of ground and got there where it counted.
“I was surprised to see his odds but when you see those odds, you sort of say, ‘Oh gee, maybe I’ve got it wrong,’ but yeah, he’s a handy horse.
“He’s always never far away and decent races in a couple of group races.”
Rachel King was delighted with the win and credited the horses toughness first-up.
“My horse, he just popped up a little bit at the gates,” said King.
“I actually got in the position I probably thought I would be, but there was a little bit of jostling around the corner and I wasn’t quite sure what the jostling was for, but it worked out well for me.
“A gap appeared on the fence and this horse, watching his replays, he likes racing like that. He’s a real sort of bulldog and he shot through that gap and put them away well.”
Mchale is now an $18.00 chance with horse racing bookmakers for the Epsom Handicap on October 5.
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