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Trainer Chris Waller could be in for a huge Epsom Handicap Day at Randwick on Saturday including saddling-up the two top fancies in the 2025 The Metropolitan.

The staying feature on the card and a potential lead-up into the Caufield and Melbourne Cup races, the Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) has drawn a capacity line-up this spring.

Six-time winning trainer, Waller, will be represented by a typically strong contingent as he looks to add to his imposing record in the handicap clash with five confirmed starters plus the second emergency.

After securing his sixth The Metrop trophy with Land Legend last spring, Waller looks well placed to go back-to-back with the best from the stable in this year’s race being Birdman and Soul Of Spain who head the markets at $5 and $5.50 respectively through Ladbrokes.

Drawn wide in gate 17 with Kerrin McEvoy booked for the ride, Free Eagle five-year-old Birdman is the narrow favourite after a lead-up win in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) at the track on September 20.

Down from 55kg to 51.5kg, the import is set to relish the rise to a mile and a half with winning form up to 2615m overseas and got McEvoy’s tick of approval after his latest effort.

“He definitely floated when he got (to the front), so he just thought his job was done,” McEvoy said after the Kingston Town Stakes win.

“So, you know, I think he can go further in trip and ideally I think a little bit more juice in the ground probably suits him better as well.

“If he can stay a bit further, then The Metropolitan is going to be right up his alley.”

The Kingston Town was the galloper’s first win since joining the Waller stable down under and he now comes into the Group 1 confident looking to do the double Just Fine (2023) completed just two years ago.

Soul Of Spain meanwhile also comes into the race in flying form having won his past four starts.

He is working his way through the grades having won the Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) at his latest on September 19 following back-to-back Queensland wins.

Glencadam Gold (2012) was the last horse to complete the Newcastle Gold Cup – The Metropolitan double, and there’s money for Soul Of Spain to be the next as he comes back to just 50.5kg on the weekend with Zac Lloyd retaining the ride from barrier 11.

Waller has also accepted for Strathtay ($101) who is the second emergency, More Felons ($67) in the outside alley, the rails drawn Travolta ($15) coming off a Newcastle Gold Cup third, and Etna Rosso ($11) who ran third in the Kingston Town.

Outside the Waller clan the other best in The Metropolitan betting at $7 is two-time Melbourne Cup performed import Vauban for the Waterhouse/Bott stable.

Heading towards a third shot in the now $10 million ‘race that stops a nation’ on the first Tuesday of November, Vauban will carry the 58.5kg topweight on the weekend.

The eight-year-old son of Galiway, formerly with Willie Mullins in Ireland, is third-up on Saturday last seen running sixth in the Kingston Town with improvement expected as he gets up in trip.

Other notable hopes including Bjorn Baker‘s Sydney Cup champ Arapaho ($11), the Kris Lees trained Changingoftheguard ($11) coming off a win at the track and trip when carrying 59kg a month back, and his progressive stablemate Adelaide River who was runner-up to Saturday’s favourite in the Kingston Town at his latest.

The 2025 The Metropolitan is scheduled as Randwick Race 9 at 4:45pm (AEST) as the penultimate event on the 10-race Saturday card in Sydney.

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