Waller plays long game with Golden Rose hope

With promising colt Central Europe to be kept for another day, Group One placed stablemate Diameter is set to headline Chris Waller’s contingent for the three-year-old features at Rosehill.

Part-owned by Coolmore, Central Europe holds nominations for the Golden Rose and Cox Plate but isn’t among acceptances for Saturday’s San Domenico Stakes (1100m) with Waller opting to space his runs.

An encouraging first-up third behind fillies Chilly Girl and Blue Door in the Rosebud (1100m), Central Europe will instead be seen next in the Run To The Rose (1200m) on September 12.

“I just feel if we run him too many times, he’s not going to get to his grand finals as well as he could if we space his runs,” Waller said.

“He goes third-up into the Golden Rose, and then he can either go up in distance to a Caulfield Guineas or back in distance to races like the Everest and the Coolmore sprint.”

Diameter was entered for both the San Domenico and the Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) with the stable deciding on the latter where he has equal topweight of 61kg.

The winner of the Fernhill Handicap (1600m) at two, Diameter went on to place at the highest level in the Champagne Stakes (1600m), although Waller believes he is a sharper colt than his juvenile form suggests.

“He’s Group One placed over a mile, and a winner over a mile, but he’s by Brazen Beau so I think he’ll find some speed and be competitive first-up,” Waller said.

Barn mate Joint Venture will also tackle the Up And Coming Stakes, earning his shot at Group company with a resolute win on a heavy track at Rosehill in July.

A field of eight has been paid up for the San Domenico Stakes which features the return of Golden Slipper winner Guest House and third placegetter Music Time.

Guest House will be striving to become the first Slipper victor to claim the San Domenico Stakes since Tierce in 1991.