Written by Richard Edmunds
Former Western Australian galloper Come Play With Me (Blackfriars) completed Chris Waller’s dream day with victory in Saturday’s G1 Heineken 3 Metropolitan H., and he also completed a special spring set for jockey Brenton Avdulla.
Having won the G1 Flight S. in 2010 and the Epsom H. a year later, both aboard Secret Admirer (Dubawi {Ire}), Avdulla has now won all three feature races on one of Randwick’s most time-honoured racedays.
“This day has always been a big day for me,” he said. “I’ve won all three Group 1 races now – the Flight, the Epsom and now the Metropolitan. Secret Admirer won two of them a few years ago now.”
Come Play With Me, who joined Waller in July from Adam Durrant’s stable, had shown promising signs in his first two Sydney starts with a second in the G3 Premier’s Cup and a sixth in the G3 Kingston Town S.
The Metropolitan was always his main spring target, and on Saturday he delivered, beating Gallic Chieftain (Fr) (Tamayuz {GB}), Sir Charles Road (Myboycharlie {Ire}) and the front-running Stampede (High Chaparral {Ire}) in a four-way scramble to the finish.
“I thought this was the horse I wanted to ride with the weights, I was very lucky to have Chris put me on him,” Avdulla said.
“Things didn’t go right pre-race, he jumped and was a pair further back than I wanted to be. I knew I couldn’t go around them to win it, so I just had to ride through them.
Brenton Avdulla and Chris Waller
“He was there to win the race halfway up the straight and Tommy (Berry, on Gallic Chieftain) put a margin on him, but to his credit he kicked back and fought on.
“I was obviously riding for the right trainer today, a career-best four Group 1 wins for Chris. It’s been a pleasure to ride a winner for him.”
“I was obviously riding for the right trainer today, a career-best four Group 1 wins for Chris. It’s been a pleasure to ride a winner for him.” - Brenton Avdulla
Continuing an outstanding spring for former Perth-based horses such as Gatting (Hard Spun {USA}) and Arcadia Queen (Pierro), Come Play With Me is now the winner of 13 of his 30 starts and more than $1.2 million in prizemoney.
This was his first Group win and his third at stakes level overall, sitting alongside his victories in the Listed Belmont Classic and Aquanita S. in Western Australia last year.
“I’m grateful to Adam Durrant for sending him over here,” Waller said. “It is quite a privilege to get a horse of this calibre.”
