![Tyler Schiller guides Katoto to victory in Newcastle's Group 3 Spring Stakes, completing a remarkable interstate feature double for Chris Waller after Consulate's Sandown Guineas success. [Bradley Photos]](https://betsy.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/2394108.jpg)
The decision by Chris Waller to split three-year-olds Consulate and Katoto between states has paid the ultimate dividend with the talented duo delivering feature race wins in their respective assignments.
Waller scratched the latter from the Sandown Guineas (1600m), which he went on to win with Consulate, before taking out the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) at Newcastle with Katoto an hour-and-a-half later.
“You know what Chris is like, he’s very meticulous and methodical with his planning,” Waller’s assistant trainer, Charlie Duckworth said.
“He’ll never lock in for one way or another. He’ll keep his options open, and it has worked out he’s ended up winning both races as a result.”
There has been eight runnings of the Spring Stakes since it shifted to a November timeslot and Katoto ($8.50) has become the sixth filly to win during that period.
Doing her recent racing in Melbourne, she showed a superior turn of foot to upstage the colts and geldings at Newcastle on Saturday, coming from the second half of the field under Tyler Schiller to score by a length over Queenslander Kickup Rocky ($2.45 fav) with Prince Of Verona ($4.80) third.
“Whilst we did throw her in the deep end, we were confident the ability was there and she just needed conditions to suit,” Duckworth said.
“I said to Tyler, you’ve just got to do no work early, get her to relax and then she’ll see out the mile, and he did exactly that and she absolutely blew them away.”
Duckworth said Katoto was likely to be spelled in preparation for the autumn where a race like the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) could be an option if she continued to relax in her races.
“But she does need to continue to relax. She did that beautifully today, so there’s no reason she couldn’t,” he said.
“In terms of building her value, you’ve got to try to get her into those Group One races and then work out where her ceiling is.”
Katoto did hang slightly when she hit the front in the straight, but Schiller said she always had the race in hand.
“I thought she chimed in at the right time,” Schiller said.
“She got a little bit stargaze-y the last hundred, but for a horse who hasn’t hit the front for a while, I wasn’t too worried. She really stuck it out late.”
