Waller stable thinks it has finally solved the McHale puzzle

It has been twenty-two months since McHale last won a race, but assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth believes the stable might have found the key to breaking that drought.

The five-year-old will line up in Saturday’s Listed Winter Stakes (1400m) chasing his first win since Rachel King guided him to victory in the 2024 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m).

Alysha Collett takes the reins on Saturday, the first female jockey to jump in the saddle since King, and Duckworth suspects that to prove significant.

“He obviously goes well for girls,” Duckworth said.

“Whether people read into that or not – some do, some don’t – he won the Bill Ritchie with Rachel King and now he’s got Alysha Collett.

“It all sets up beautifully for him on Saturday.”

McHale’s best result since then was a second in benchmark company at Rosehill last August, although he has been competitive in several stakes races.

He was doing his best work late when fifth behind Midnight Dynamite first-up in the Civic Stakes (1400m) and from a low draw on Saturday, Duckworth hopes he can find a closer position in the run and be hard to beat.

“When he won the Bill Ritchie leading into the Epsom, he looked like he was going to be a really promising horse, and he hit that mark and just hasn’t quite found his way through,” he said.

“It was an awesome run first-up. He’s drawn much better, so he will naturally settle three lengths closer as a result.

“That should put him right in it. I think he’s a genuine winning chance.”

The Chris Waller stable will also be represented in the race by Matusalem, who is resuming and expected to be better for the run, and Pippie Beach, who returns from a Queensland campaign durin which she was Group 3 placed two starts ago.

“She’s going well. Two starts back was much better than last start which didn’t quite go to plan, but if she can bounce back to that form where she ran third to Pinito then she’s right in it,” Duckworth said.

Impressive debut winner Omolong is no certainty to take his place in the Thank You ATC Members Handicap (1100m) after drawing awkwardly in barrier nine.

The youngster settled last at Warwick Farm and steamed home to score, but Duckworth said it was harder to give away a head start over the 1100m circuit at Rosehill, and they would wait for scratchings before making a call.

“There is no real rush with him. There are options next week and the week after, over different distances, admittedly,” Duckworth said.

Stablemates Letters Patent and Joint Venture could also be held over for other races, while Defenseman will take his place from barrier four after placing first-up over 1250m at Canterbury.

“He is actually a really good horse, he just needs things to go his way and it hasn’t so far in his career,” Duckworth said of Defenseman.

“But from a soft draw, he should be right up behind the leaders and give himself every opportunity.”