Sydney’s Chris Waller continued his ace season with an early black-type win at Rosehill Gardens over the weekend when his odds-on favourite Telepathic scored an easy victory in the ATC Cup 2015.

Chris Waller’s 2015 ATC Cup winner Telepathic drops back to a mile at Randwick in a fortnight for the Group 2 Villiers Stakes on December 12. Photo: Steve Hart.

The second of nine races on the Festival Stakes Day line-up on Saturday, this year’s $100,000 Listed Tyreel Stud ATC Cup (2000m) features a final field of just seven runners with Waller’s five-year-old Mossman mare Telepathic the red hot $1.45 favourite.

She lived up to the price in the handicap clash backing up off a win over 1500m at the track on a Heavy (9) course a fortnight ago to thrive on a Good (3) track over 500m further and take her Rosehill record to two wins, a second and a third from four starts.

Her longest distanced win to date, in the ATC Cup Telepathic and jockey James McDonald had one and three quarter lengths to spare over the Tony McEvoy-trained Lucky Lucky Lucky ($12) while Waller’s other runner Vilanova ($12) was just a nose further back for third.

Waller confirmed plans post-win to take Telepathic to Royal Randwick next start on December 12 for a shot at the $250,000 Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) back down over a mile where he believes she will be hard to beat.

“Telepathic has been really consistent and deserved a listed win today,” Waller said.

“We’ve had a bit of success bringing horses back from 2000m to a mile.

“It’s only a two-week turnaround though. She can have a quiet time for the next fortnight.

“We’ll just do a little bit less intense fast work. We’ll still need to do a bit of fast work to keep her blood levels up.

“She’ll go to the Villiers and be very hard to beat.”

McDonald was also impressed by the mare’s win after he got her up front and charging 200m from the line, describing the victory as “painless” and rating her a livewire hope in the Group 2 in a fortnight’s time.

“That was painless,” he said.

“She’s a big chance in the Villiers. Bringing her back to the mile will be spot-on for her.”

Last year’s Villiers Stakes was won by Queensland visitor Rudy who came off a black-type win a fortnight before in Brisbane while Waller prepared runner-up I’m Imposing and third placed Strawberry Boy.

Both of his Villiers Stakes placegetters last summer came out of run on the same race day as the ATC Cup with I’m Imposing winning the Listed Festival Stakes (1500m) and Strawberry Boy finishing third behind the stablemate.

This year’s Festival Stakes was won in an upset by Fred Cowell’s $21 chance Mighty Lucky who beat home the John O’Shea-trained It’s Somewhat ($5.50) by a neck with Peace Force ($9.50) a nose away for third.

Waller’s two runners, the defending champion I’m Imposing ($21) and Heart Testa ($16), meanwhile could only manage to cross eighth and ninth respectively.

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2015 ATC Cup Results

Rosehill Race 2 – 28/11/2015