Why Zac Lloyd can thank mate in New Zealand if he lands another group 1

A week after his greatest moment in racing, Zac Lloyd hopes a heads up from a mate in New Zealand will lead to another group 1 victory as Kiwi trainer Mark Walker eyes a memorable first Sydney winner.

On Saturday Lloyd returns to Rosehill, where he won the $5 million Golden Slipper aboard Guest House last week as part of a treble.

It was a fourth group 1 win for the 22-year-old, and he likes his chances of grabbing another on Saturday with Belle Cheval in the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m).

Belle Cheval, which came to Sydney on Monday, is a $4 (TAB) chance in the three-year-old fillies feature after a thrilling runner-up finish last start in the $4 million Kiwi (1500m). The Savabeel filly came from second last on the turn to go down in a photo to unbeaten star Well Written.

Lloyd has the advantage of gate two on Saturday in a nine-horse field also featuring New Zealand Oaks winner Ohope Wins ($2.40), Salty Pearl ($3.80) and Panova ($6).

“She looks a very good chance, and she has a good barrier,” Lloyd said.

“She’s never been tested at 2000, but she looks like she’s got a very good turn of speed, which she used to nearly beat Well Written. So if she can use it over 2000, she is going to be very effective.

“[Almost beating Well Written] is probably the best form in New Zealand you can get.”

The chance with Belle Cheval came via some advice from a fellow rider, who stayed with Lloyd during a Sydney stint last year.

“I’ve got a friend, Wiremu Pinn, who obviously rides over there,” Lloyd said. “He spoke to me and said they’re looking at bringing it over, so it was a possible ride. So thanks to him, I’ve got the ride.”

Belle Cheval is a rare Sydney runner for Walker, who has racked up more than 30 group 1 wins and spent 11 years training in Singapore before returning to New Zealand. He went into a partnership with Sam Bergerson at Te Akau Racing in 2023 and set up an Australian training base at Cranbourne early last year.

“I had Princess Coup run second in the BMW and Ranvet [to Tuesday Joy in 2008]. King’s Chapel ran second to Grand Armee [in the 2004 George Main Stakes]. So we’ve only had a handful of runners in them, but they’ve run well,” Walker said.

“We’ve had a few seconds there in group 1s, so a win would be nice.”

Walker said the plan had long been to tackle the Vinery Stud Stakes with Belle Cheval before she spells and moves to his Melbourne stable to prepare for the spring carnival. He has faith she can handle the jump to 2000m on Saturday.

“The New Zealand three-year-old fillies have got quite a good record in the Vinery, and if you take a line through previous horses, you would think she will measure up,” he said.

“Being a Savabeel filly, most of them get that distance as a three-year-old. Maybe as a four-year-old, she will be more of a mile. But as a three-year-old filly, we think she’ll get it. It’s just good to have one good enough to run in it.

“Zac had a ride on her on the course proper on Thursday, just to get a feel of her, and he was really pleased.”

Lloyd rides the Ciaron Maher-trained Piggyback in the other group 1 on the card, the Tancred Stakes (2400m), where the Sydney Cup-bound five-year-old mare is $23.

“She’s going really well, and I love the way she’s been prepped,” he said. “Not necessarily for the Tancred, but for their Sydney Cup.

“The Tancred’s too strong for her, but it should make her raise her bar, which in turn should hopefully strengthen her up for a Sydney Cup.”

Meanwhile, Racing NSW on Friday announced $1.6 million in support for the industry’s lowest-paid workers, which followed Thursday’s $1.5 million fuel relief package for owners, trainers and jockeys.

Eligible workers will receive $100 a week from Friday’s package. Thursday’s announcement covered payments of $100 per starter for all horses travelling less than 150km each way to a race meeting, and $200 for those going further. The travel component of jockeys’ minimum riding fee was increased to $100 a meeting. All changes are until May 31.

Waller Verry confident about Aeliana

Premier trainer Chris Waller is not known for testing his stars with a seven-day back-up, but Aeliana’s domination of the ATC Derby over 2400m a year ago has given him confidence she can thrive at the trip on Saturday in the group 1 Tancred Stakes.

Aeliana is a $1.80 favourite for the $1.5 million headline race at Rosehill, a week after she wore down Lindermann to take out the 2000m Ranvet Stakes. The decision to target the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in two weeks with unbeaten stablemate Autumn Glow then prompted Waller to instead aim Aeliana at the Tancred.

It is a path Waller used to good advantage in 2020 when champion mare Verry Elleegant was second in the Ranvet to Addeybb before winning the Tancred by four lengths seven days later. A year earlier, Verry Elleegant proved her class over 2400m, winning the ATC Oaks.

Waller said Aeliana’s five-length Derby demolition last year was a key factor in running on Saturday.

“I guess it’s a unique opportunity,” said Waller, who also has River Of Stars, Zarir, Soul Of Spain and Valiant King in the Tancred.

“It’s not perfect that the races are seven days apart, but it caters for the same horses really, so the decision we had to make was do we run her in three weeks in the Queen Elizabeth knowing Autumn Glow’s going there? But that’s probably made the decision a little easier to back her up.

“Also, there’s the fact that she’s won over the distance in arguably one of her best wins, the Derby, winning by a big margin and going away from them in the concluding stages. Had we been unsure of the distance, it would have made it a lot harder.

“We’ll often back horses up, but it’s only when the race suits. Ideally, two to three weeks is best. But horses like Shillelagh in Melbourne, she backed up on the first day of the Flemington carnival and the last day and just about won both. We backed up Atishu quite successfully as well. It’s just a matter of what horses we have at the time and what their opposition are.

“And the market supports the decision in this instance.”

In the other group 1, the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m), Waller has New Zealand Oaks champion Ohope Wins making her debut for the stable as favourite.

“We are learning about her; she’s had one grand final this preparation, so it’s just a matter of getting her settled into a new environment,” he said. “She’s obviously got the class. Not just the Oaks win, but her previous runs as well.

“It’s a tricky draw [in nine of nine], but she’s got a lot of talent and 2000m should suit her fresh up. We know she can get 2400m, so this will be a good lead in to the Oaks, as well as being very competitive tomorrow.”

Waller also picked up last year’s New Zealand Oaks winner, Leica Lucy, which then finished fourth in the ATC Oaks.

“Last year, I thought Leica Lucy had had a much harder campaign, but still ran very well and had not a lot go her way in the Oaks,” he said.

“Ohope Wins’ ratings suggest she’s one of the most talented horses to come out of New Zealand in recent years.”