The
stallion ranks this spring will not be boosted by Criterion's Group III winning
half-brother Comin' Through, no matter how successful his autumn carnival may
be.
When Chris Waller sent Comin' Through (image Steve Hart) to the paddock after his spring campaign
he felt the four-year-old had more to give so he did something in an attempt to
extract it.
It wasn't as if the son of Fastnet Rock was firing blanks, after all he'd won
the Group III Bill Ritchie Stakes and finished sixth in the Group I Epson
Handicap, but his champion trainer was convinced he hadn't got to the bottom of
Criterion's half-brother so it was time for action.
"He's been gelded since we last saw him," Waller told Racenet.
"He's always been a very straight forward horse to train but I think he was
holding a little bit back.
"In saying that he's Group I-placed but we felt to get that bit more out of him
we had to try something so he was gelded.
"He's shown us he's capable of winning a Group I at home."
Comin' Through is set to resume in Saturday's Randwick feature, the Group II
Apollo Stakes (1400m).
The Randwick 1400m circuit is arguably Comin' Through's favourite with two wins
and a second coming from three previous starts and he's prepared for his return
with two solid trials over 900 and 1000m.
"He's going well and I expect him to run well on Saturday," Waller said. "I
just think he's capable of improving again so this prep will tell us.
"Where do we head towards? Do we head towards a Doncaster? Do we head towards
something further perhaps? Something like a Ranvet.
"He's eligible for handicap races so we're coming into this with an open mind."
Retained to race by his breeder Sir Owen Glenn, Comin' Through has already won nearly
$500,000 in prizemoney, but his best may still be to come.
Peter and Paul Snowden train the two year-old full brother to Comin' Through
called Sir Owen and his dam Mica's Pride produced a filly by Sebring last
spring that is a full sister to $7million earner Criterion.