The running of this year’s Sydney version of the Winter Final is made all the more interesting for the addition of a former very creditable international performer.

TIMEFORM RACE PREVIEW

Previous Winter Challenge renewals have been the domain of those horses having had Winter racing and last year it was afford black type status when run at Warwick Farm and won by Spinnawitch.

Foreteller is the significant horse of note as a recent winner and while others have averaged out at a Timeform winning figure of about 105, Chris Waller’s former French galloper went 113 in 2011.

Since then he has proven to be a highly worthwhile addition to the leading stable winning several group races (David Jones Cup (G3) and the Peter Young Stks (G2)) before graduating to the big league in March this year. He charged home from near the rear to run down top 3yo Fiveandahalfstar and score in the G1 Ranvet Stks (2000m) at Rosehill.

Where this has a focus is that Chris Waller looks to begin the Australian career of another former French galloper in the shape of Bayrir.

He appears nicely placed when you consider he won a G2 race at his fourth run then took the G1 Secretariat Stks at Arlington in the US essentially a year ago.

But not happy with that, he went back home and was just over a length from French Derby hero Saonois in the G2 Prix Niel before taking on the big boys in the Prix De L'arc De Triomphe.

Sure he was a margin back but so were most of the field on an incredibly testing heavy track at Longchamp where they ran 2.37 for a mile and a half. He was just astern of horses like Camelot, Sea Moon and Shareta and in front of St Nicholas Abbey, Meandre and Saonois himself.

Even his final international run in the Hong Kong Vase, when he was not far behind the likes of Red Cadeaux, Jaguar Mail and Dunaden, showed his class.

Much like with Chris Waller’s other top middle distance horse from last season Reliable Man, who had even stronger European form lines including a close fourth in a highly competitive King George, and other runs around Cirrus Des Aigles and So You Think, Bayrir gets his chance first up at a miler’s journey.

His best looks decidedly better than these with only 5kg over the minimum.

Gai Waterhouse’s Under The Sun has come very solid this campaign. While he rarely runs a bad race (in the placings 13 times in 18 starts), he’s only just advanced into Listed levels at his two most recent outings.

A close second when taking the sit on Mic Mac in the Civic Stks, he was ridden more aggressively to lead in the Winter Stks as the lead up race for this.

That event at Rosehill a fortnight ago contained six of the Winter Challenge field and yet Under The Sun held a 3½ length margin on them at the end. It doesn’t look like 1500m holds any fears having already been twice been a winner this course and distance.

Another of the Premier Trainer’s team is Wazn. Yet another former French horse, he already is a five time winner in Australia and looked to come back well in the Winter Stks despite being back and not able to make up ground.

First up hasn’t appeared his best in the past and perhaps, given he is up and running now, that he’s being aimed at races like the Wyong and Newcastle Cups and the Metropolitan.

Darci Be Good on his Spring 3yo ratings two years ago is up to a race like this but it hadn’t been quite so successful since. That said he did win the Hawkesbury Cup and followed it with good performances in the Villiers and Tatts Cups over the New Year period.

Of course speaking of old form, if Bold Glance was anything like his Doncaster placing to Sacred Choice he’d be somewhere in the mix for the placings. Even his run two back when Merlin Mustang ran him down could well see him gaining a cheque for connections.

Finally a note about Less Is More. It’s like a broken record but one more emanating from ‘Les Bleus’. He’s had some achievements in Australia under the care of David Vandyke with a solid Brisbane carnival only two months ago. Just a short break means he may well be targeted at those early Spring Cups in NSW.