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Chris Waller’s remarkable affinity with the Wyong Gold Cup continued on Friday as Saltcoats, a five-year-old gelding by Ardrossan, surged to victory in the $250,000 Listed feature, handing the Hall of Fame trainer a record ninth win in the race.

Ridden to perfection by champion jockey James McDonald, Saltcoats ($1.90 favourite) produced a gritty performance to edge out local hope Salt Lake City ($15) and Glory Daze ($5.50) in a thrilling finish over 2100m.

The win marked McDonald’s fourth Wyong Cup triumph, all aboard Waller-trained stayers Durston (2022), Wu Gok (2019) and Multilateral (2014), and was a strong bounce-back for Saltcoats after a disappointing run on heavy ground in the Group 3 Premier’s Cup.

Benefiting from a firmer surface and a soft run on the fence, Saltcoats relaxed beautifully in transit and showed determination late to secure his second stakes win in Australia, adding to his earlier Listed success in New Zealand.

Waller’s stable representative, Jamie Smith, praised McDonald’s ride, noting, “He got Saltcoats into a perfect position, didn’t have to do too much work early, and he looked the winner a long way out.”

McDonald echoed the sentiment, telling Sky Thoroughbred Central, “He relaxed like a dream, which enabled him to get the trip, but this is probably as far as he wants.”

With the Wyong Cup win, Saltcoats is now eligible for the $3 million The Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day—a likely target given McDonald’s comments about his distance limitations.

The gelding, who now boasts five wins from 18 starts and nearly $600,000 in prizemoney, continues to build a strong profile for his high-profile ownership group, which includes Ozzie Kheir and John O’Neill.

Waller’s other Wyong Gold Cup victories came with The Verminator (2011), Wazn (2013), Multilateral, Beyond Thankful (2015), Carzoff (2018), Wu Gok (2019), and that year’s subsequent Caulfield Cup winner Durston (2022).

With the unlikely extension to 2400m for Saltcoats in the $5 million Group 1 Caulfield Cup on October 18, he has eased out from $51 to $101 in all-in markets at Ladbrokes.com.au.

This page and the written content within it were partially generated using AI or automated technology and edited and verified by our editorial team.

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