Chris Waller’s agile training techniques were on show with Via Sistina ahead of last week’s Cox Plate and the champion trainer is now getting proactive with Melbourne Cup hopeful Land Legend.
The Group 1 The Metropolitan winner was not a part of Wednesday’s Bendigo Cup field, but the imported stayer still made a trip to the races.
Land Legend took in the raceday experience and had a leisurely 1600m gallop on the course proper with Steven Arnold in the saddle.
It was all part of Waller’s plan to next Tuesday avoid his Caulfield Cup Day antics, when he got fired up before the race and was too keen in the run before finishing third, beaten 6-1/4 lengths by Duke De Sessa.
“Land Legend was just too keen in a Caulfield Cup, he pulled hard for Zac Purton over the 2400-metre distance and he still managed to run third, but he’s better than that,” Waller said.
“I’ve just got to try and take the edge off him a little.
“We’re trying to dive into the Bart Cummings training methods and ask as many questions as we can.
“Bart Cummings could get Land Legend to win a Melbourne Cup, but I’ve got to try and get the best out of Land Legend because he’s a little bit fierce.”
The trip to Bendigo came just over 24 hours after Land Legend made an appearance at Flemington’s Cup Week trackwork breakfast, where he cantered a lap of the track under a loose reign under Waller’s watchful eye.
Waller described his Tuesday morning workout as “perfect”.
Waller last week was forced to alter Via Sistina’s training program after she dumped jockey James Mcdonald the Tuesday before the race and galloped multiple laps of the Moonee Valley track riderless.
That was meant to be Via Sistina’s only midweek trip to The Valley last week but Waller took her back on Thursday , two days before she scored an eight-length win in the $5 million Group 1 Cox Plate.
Via Sistina will not be joining Land Legend in next Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup but Waller could still have up to seven runners in the race with Buckaroo, Kovalica, Valiant King, Manzoice, Kinesiology and Francesco Guardi still among the entries.
