Barrier draw to decide strength of Waller’s Underwood Stakes army

Barriers and race shape will determine the number of runners Chris Waller has in the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield.

Waller has Aeliana, Buckaroo, Lindermann, Birdman, Asterix and Soulcombe entered in the Group 1 weight-for-age contest over 1800m on Saturday.

Aeliana and Lindermann also are entered in the Group 2 7 Stakes (1600m) at Randwick while Asterix and Soulcombe also have entries in the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield.

Waller is favouring sending Aeliana and Lindermann to Melbourne but will wait until acceptances and study the barrier draw before making a final decision.

“Blake Shinn is booked to ride in the Underwood if he comes down, so we’re well prepared,” Waller said.

“He deserves his chance in a Group 1 race. The whole of last year was built around getting his confidence up and running against the best horses.

“He did run second in the Queen Elizabeth, so it was good to see him bounce back to form last start.”

Lindermann returned to winning form in the Group 2 Chelmesford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on September 5 after finishing ninth to Autumn Glow in the Winx Stakes (1400m) last month.

Behind Lindermann in the Winx Stakes was Aeliana who remained in Sydney after her scratching from the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday.

Aeliana has only had the one run back from a spell, finishing last behind Autumn Glow.

“Her first-up run was disappointing,” Waller said.

“We thought she was out of her comfort zone, and we saw Lindermann bounce back off a flat run in the Winx Stakes, so there is no reason why she can’t.

“I would like to see her draw well and when you want to get a horses confidence levels up, and you draw wide in an Underwood Stakes and well in a 7 Stakes, I’d rather keep her in Sydney, but if she draws well in the Underwood, I would say she will come down.”

Two runners that will take their place are Birdman and Buckaroo.

Both were scratched from the Makybe Diva Stakes last weekend and had a 1000m jump-out at Flemington last Friday.

Waller said it was the right decision to bypass the Makybe Diva with the pair.

“It would have been hard to win last week, and Autumn Boy was good running second behind Sheza Alibi which was great for their team, and it franked the form behind Autumn Glow,” Waller said.

“I think we made the right decision and Birdman and Buckaroo will be here on Saturday.

“They had a trial on Friday and will have a maintenance gallop.

“Birdman was terrific first-up, so was Buckaroo and they’re ready to peak over 1800 metres.”

Soulcombe had a gallop at Caulfield on Tuesday with Shinn in the saddle, and he could not fault the stayer.

The 2023 Melbourne Cup runner-up has only had one run since, finishing near last in the Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) on August 29 after an injury enforced lay-off.

“I think we might have had him a bit overdone in terms of his weight first-up,” Waller said.

“We worked really hard during his prep work to get weight off him to help his legs, and we might have left him with no energy.

“We’ve upped his energy levels, and I think he looks better in his coat.

“He was disappointing last start, so there is no reason why he could not bounce back.

“It’s a big step to win second-up, but I would like to see him be competitive.”