Endless Drama tracking for Group One glory
Endless Drama (right) can enhance his stallion prospects with victory in the G1 Canterbury Stakes.
Endless Drama can take a significant step towards a marketable post-racing career by backing up his Apollo Stakes victory with Group One success.
The Irish import was brought to Australia with a view to becoming a commercial stallion and Endless Drama can enhance his prospects by winning the Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Randwick.
Trained by Chris Waller, Endless Drama was the chief beneficiary when connections decided to bypass the Group Two Apollo Stakes (1400m) with his stablemate Winx last month.
The Qatar Bloodstock-owned six-year-old wore down Global Glamour to record his first black-type win in either hemisphere.
Since then Waller’s racing manager Charlie Duckworth said Endless Drama had worked well with a raceday gallop at Randwick last Saturday indicating he was capable of challenging Canterbury Stakes favourite Clearly Innocent.
“He’s obviously class. He was sent down here to try and become a stallion so a Group One would be outstanding,” he said.
“He looks cherry ripe. He only gallops over 800 metres. It keeps him sharp and fresh.”
Endless Drama ran third to Winx in last year’s Apollo Stakes but spent 10 months off the scene when he as found to have a hock injury after his last in the Group One Doncaster Mile.
He is now two starts into his comeback and is again being aimed at the $3 million Doncaster at Randwick on April 7.
Endless Drama was on the fourth line of betting at $6.50 with the TAB on Thursday while stablemate and Group One-winning mare Foxplay was an $8.50 chance to improve on her first-up third in the Group Two Millie Fox Stakes (1300m).
Duckworth was upbeat about Foxplay’s prospects although the distance and the outside gate were less than ideal.
“It might be a bit short for Foxplay and the draw isn’t perfect but she’s pretty adaptable,” he said.
“Her first-up run was exceptional and we lose nothing with Kerrin (McEvoy) getting back on board.”
McEvoy, who replaces Hugh Bowman, guided Foxplay to her only Group One victory in the Queen Of The Turf (1600m) last autumn, a feat she is aiming to repeat at Randwick on April 14.