![James McDonald guides Affari to a dominant maiden victory at Rosehill after the Chris Waller-trained filly raced in blinkers for the first time. [Bradley Photos]](https://betsy.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2376998.jpg)
After five minor placings from her first six starts, filly Affari has shed her maiden tag in style with a dominant all-the-way win at Rosehill.
Jockey James McDonald credited the addition of blinkers for helping the three-year-old get an overdue victory on the board in Wednesday’s Inglis Xtra Bonus Plate (1200m) and said she had the scope to progress through the grades.
Impressive new winner for Home Affairs
Affari (3f Home Affairs x Super Too) for @cwallerracing
370k for @StarTbreds & Randwick Bloodstock Agency from @GlenloganPark at @mmsnippets GCDam a half-sister to Singapore champ Super One.
Season winner 10 for the sire@CoolmoreAus pic.twitter.com/c0j6t1NSLI— Breednet (@BreednetNews) October 14, 2026
“She has been promising that,” McDonald said.
“She goes really well. She’s just, for some unknown reason, always found one better but they’ve all been good horses to be fair.
“Blinkers on definitely worked wonders today. That was a masterstroke and hopefully she can go on.”
By exciting young stallion Home Affairs, Affari was a $370,000 Magic Millions purchase for Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds.
The Rosehill assignment was her fifth run of the campaign and followed a sequence of four consecutive second placings, but given the way she attacked the line, trainer Chris Waller’s stable representative, Darren Beadman, said her preparation might not be over yet.
“Chris is a great judge with that,” Beadman said.
“But when they win like that and they hit the line with purpose like she did, more times than not they come out of that, and they’ll butter up next time.”
Waller and McDonald combined with another promising filly two races later when Ballet D’Light took out the MyRacehorse Handicap (1100m) on debut.
Beadman said the daughter of I Am Invincible, who had been to the trials five times, had been a work in progress but was starting to put everything together.
“They’ve been very patient with her. She’s a little bit special,” Beadman said.
“James did a lovely job rating the speed and she showed a nice turn of foot.”
The Waller-McDonald combination will be chasing two of the Sydney spring’s biggest races at Randwick on Saturday when they team with Joliestar in the $20 million Everest (1200m) and Autumn Glow in the $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m).
