A trip to her now home Rosehill track for a shot at the Group 1 The Galaxy on Slipper Day is calling for Chris Waller‘s underrated mare Generosity who produced an enormous effort to salute narrowly in a notable 2026 Challenge Stakes upset at Randwick on Saturday.

The five-year-old daughter of Divine Prophet had been forgotten by the punters in the Group 2 $500,000 Challenge Stakes (1000m) going around at a double-figure quote despite being a strong short-distance performer.

Racing for the first time since her Group 2 Sydney Stakes seventh when under two lengths behind Rothfire at the track last October, the still progressive sprinter finally broke through in her first win outside of her former home of WA since joining Waller’s stable midway through last year.

“I didn’t lose faith in this mare, but she didn’t really fire in Melbourne, so we thought let’s get her home and have her nice and fresh for her return,” Waller told Sky Thoroughbred Central.

“She’s got very good form in Perth and she’s a talented mare. She was ready to go a month ago and then we thought where are we going to run her?

“We know she is good fresh and we couldn’t find the right race, so we put her on the treadmill for a week, then we gave her a third trial as we knew she had to be very fresh and fit for this race.”

Rewarding the master trainer’s patience, she was given a peach of a ride in the Challenge Stakes by super hoop James McDonald to outrace her recent, flat trial form and secure an all-important Group 2 victory by the barest of margins.

McDonald celebrated his fourth win of the day when rating Generosity to a tee.

The Perth expat was on speed sitting third on the turn for home before chiming in with 200m to go.

She moved up to the front-running Mazu and Marhoona to make it a three-horse race late.

Generosity ($10) showed plenty of fight diving through right on the line to deny Marhoona by the bob of the head ($9.50) with Mazu ($8.50) holding for third in a photo-thriller.

“She jumped alertly. I wasn’t intending to be there but she looked great in the parade ring,” McDonald said.

“She presented like the winner and she just jogged up. A pleasant surprise landing in a good spot, she’s just a bonny little mare.

“All three of them actually, they fought it out really well (at the end).

“Take nothing away from the second horse (Marhoona), I didn’t think I was going to get there so she’s a very good filly in her own right.

“Chris (Waller) was pretty confident. You always get so much confidence when you get legged onto Chris’s horses, they’re primed, they’re ready to go.

“She looked great and she was ready to run a good race.”

The beaten favourite Giga Kick meanwhile made up plenty of ground coming from well back when still eight lengths off them at the top of the straight to charge into fourth 1.4 lengths off the surprise winner.

“He got out of the gates well,” Giga Kick’s rider Nash Rawiller said post-race.

“I was reluctant to push forward in front of Skybird early because at the time they were running pretty quick.

“It was a mistake that I couldn’t try and fix up midrace. Had to take my medicine a little bit.

“Horse travelled lovely and comfortably.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a horse finish off a race like that in all my life.”

Waller confirmed next-up autumn plans for Generosity to head to Rosehill Gardens on March 21 for a shot at the Group 1 $1 million The Galaxy (1100m) for which she’s now exempt from ballot.

“Generosity needed to be fit and fresh to win this race,” Waller said.

“She will go to The Galaxy on our home track at Rosehill now.”

Eduardo (2021) was the last sprinter to complete the Challenge Stakes / The Galaxy double.

The all-in price on Generosity to be the next through Ladbrokes.com.au has been cut from $26 into $ and she now occupies the third line of 2026 The Galaxy betting behind Briasa and Beadman, and McDonald is confident she’ll make herself known in the Group 1.

“She’s probably a length or two below it to be fair, but she’ll get her turn,” he said.

“She’s Group 2 placed (3rd in The Shorts) from memory but a Galaxy down in the weights is the perfect race for her.”

Looking further ahead, Waller said they would also consider a trip to South Australia for the Group 1 $1 million Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on April 25.

“She is a lovely horse to worth with, she is mentally mature now,” he said.

“We will go to The Galaxy now and could even look at the Sangster Stakes in Adelaide.”

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