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By Ray Hickson

Some weight-for-age seasoning has champion trainer Chris Waller confident star colt Militarize is right where he wants him to notch a fourth Group 1 win at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Chris Waller (Pic: Bradley Photos)

Waller threw the three-year-old into the Apollo Stakes for his warm up into the Group 1 $1m The Agency Randwick Guineas (1600m) and he split stablemate Fangirl and warrior Think It Over – form which held up at Group 1 level last weekend.

The colt then stepped out at Randwick on Verry Elleegant Stakes Day for a gallop between races and, after watching the work under James McDonald, Waller sent an ominous warning to his rivals.

“Three weeks between runs and the other jockeys and horses will have to be on their game,” Waller said.

“He’s equally as good at 1400m or a mile but over the mile he is properly prepared.

The beauty of Militarize is he is good on good tracks, or if we get a bit of rain it’s not too much of a disadvantage either so it's a pretty straightforward prep.

“We purposely chose taking on the weight-for-age horses just to season him up and back to his own age group he should be very hard to beat.”

The mid-prep exhibition gallop has become almost as common as the ‘tickover trial’ for top line horses around carnival time and Waller, who won the Guineas in 2019 with The Autumn Sun, said it’s a nice way to get their juices flowing a bit more than your standard build up.

He put 1000m behind him in 1:06.42 with a 37.74 final 600m.

“When it’s three weeks between runs for my horses often they can be a little bit soft if you don’t trial them or give them a piece of work,’’ he said.

“The gallop would be equal to two solid gallops at home, almost chasing them and getting them off the bridle at home.

“By doing that, you can have injuries so a nice piece of work like that (exhibition gallop) where they are 95% I think is equal to trialling or a couple of hard gallops.”

Waller said he was impressed by what he saw in the Hobartville Stakes from Celestial Legend, the Les Bridge-trained colt regarded as Militarize’s biggest danger, but noted his horse has the score on the board.

Militarize was $2.30 with TAB on Wednesday having drawn barrier four while Celestial Legend was $4 after coming up with the outside alley.

“Celestial Legend was brilliant. Obviously we’ve got the benchmark and making sure that he comes back is my job. It will be a good race,’’ he said.

Unbeaten colt Switzerland is Waller’s leading Golden Slipper chance and where he stands in the puzzle will become clearer after the Group 2 $300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m).

While Storm Boy has a stranglehold on the market, the clash between Switzerland, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trio Shangri La Express, Straight Charge and Espionage, and the unbeaten Peter & Paul Snowden colt Bodyguard will sort out the main challengers.

Militarize runs second at Randwick on February 17

Waller, who won last year’s Slipper for Coolmore with Shinzo, said Switzerland has progressed to his liking since he beat Shangri La Express in the Pierro Plate three weeks ago.

“He is well and had a gallop (Saturday) morning. It was exactly what I wanted to see,’’ Waller said.

“He has made the right steps forward - putting on weight, muscling up and developing like a good two-year-old should.”

Switzerland is on the third line of Slipper betting with TAB at $9 behind ruling favourite Storm Boy.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting