Just like the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) a fortnight ago, leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller is set to dominate the field for the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday after including eight horses in the nominations for the race.

Beaten Up is one of eight Chris Waller-trained horses included in the nominations for the Chelmsford Stakes. Photo: Daniel Costello

Sixteen horses have been nominated for the $175,000 race that is set to be a key form guide for Group 1 events during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Waller’s Chelmsford Stakes team is headlined by Group 1 winners Beaten Up and Foreteller who both performed strongly first-up in the Warwick Stakes.

Doomben Cup winner Beaten Up made up a great deal of ground late to finish an encouraging fourth while Foreteller finished in the back half of the field but ran the final 200 metres of the race faster than any other horse on the day.

Waller is hopeful that Beaten Up can be his major hope in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) while Foreteller is expected to tackle the Underwood Stakes (1800m), Turnbull Stakes (2000m) and Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) in Melbourne later in the spring.

Royal Descent is another Waller stable star that is set to return to the races for her second run this campaign after finishing second behind stablemate Hidden Kisses in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1300m) at Warwick Farm.

The daughter of Redoute’s Choice stamped herself as a Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate (2040m) contender with her dominant ten lengths victory in the Australian Oaks (2400m) during the 2013 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and will race under weight-for-age conditions for the first time if she contests the Chelmsford Stakes this weekend.

Other Waller-trained gallopers included in the nominations are: talented import Bayrir, Queensland Derby winner Hawkspur, Melbourne Cup hopeful Kelinni, veteran gelding Metal Bender and Brisbane Cup winner Moriarty.

New Zealand-based Veyron and talented mare Streama have both been nominated for the Chelmsford Stakes after finishing first and second in the Warwick Stakes.

Veyron, a five-time Group 1 winner in New Zealand, finally bought his best form to Australia and showed a great deal of courage to hold off the fast finishing Streama in the final stages of the race.

Both horses are expected to be leading contenders for the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m), which will be run at Randwick on October 5, and they will have the opportunity to do battle over the famous Randwick mile on Saturday.

Gai Waterhouse will be represented in the Chelmsford Stakes by Glencadam Gold, who missed the Warwick Stakes due to illness, while Peter Moody-trained import Sneak A Peek will have another run in Sydney after his fair first-up effort in the Warwick Stakes.

See below for the full Chelmsford Stakes 2013 nominations and keep visiting Races.com.au to view the final field when it is released on Wednesday.

A number of the horses nominated for the Chelmsford Stakes are leading contenders for the spring majors so now is the perfect time to sign up with bookmaker.com.au where you’ll get access to the country’s best range of futures betting markets.

2013 Chelmsford Stakes Nominations

Royal Randwick Racecourse – 07/08/2013