Latest news with #NoelGreenhalgh
The Australian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Fruit market king Noel Greenhalgh eyes another Melbourne Cup with Chris Waller stayer
Well-known Brisbane owner and fruit market king Noel Greenhalgh has had horses finish first, second, third and fourth in Melbourne Cups and is excited about a potential Cup contender he has as part of his 2025 spring arsenal. Greenhalgh was a part-owner of 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip and finished runner-up and third the following year with Soulcombe and Sheraz. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! He was also in the ownership of Finche who finished fourth in 2018. It is European import Birdman, trained by Chris Waller, who has Greenhalgh up and about as a 2025 Cups contender. Earlier in the week, Waller said he was impressed by Birdman's two recent Sydney trials and said he had clearly matured since arriving in Australia as a northern hemisphere three-year-old. Birdman, co-owned by other heavy hitters including Ozzie Kheir, Brae Sokolski and Neil Werrett, hasn't won in five Australian starts but did finish runner-up in a 20-horse Group 2 Chairman's Quality (2600m) field during the Sydney autumn carnival. Noel Greenhalgh with wife Maria after Gold Trip won the Melbourne Cup in 2022. Picture: Michael Klein Greenhalgh said only now is the penny starting to drop for the promising stayer who he believes can turn potential into performance this spring. 'Birdman was purchased with the intention of being a Melbourne Cup horse,' Greenhalgh said. 'He has really needed the starts he has had in Australia so far, as coming from the northern hemisphere he is basically a year behind. 'His trials have been huge, for a stayer, and he is going really well. 'He has fully acclimatised now and there won't be any excuses for him this spring. 'He will be a Caulfield and Melbourne Cup horse. 'I've had horses run first, second, third and fourth in Melbourne Cups. 'It's quite amazing really, I don't know too many owners would have done that.' • Show us the money: New global jockeys league hunts private funding Birdman, who has been accepted for a 1400m handicap at Rosehill on Saturday, is currently a $51 Melbourne Cup chance and a $26 to win the Caulfield Cup in TAB's early fixed odds markets. Noel Greenhalgh selling fruit at the Brisbane Markets. Picture: Ben Dorries Asked for another galloper from his squadron of horses that punters could follow during the spring, Greenhalgh nominated three-year-old maiden filly Enviable. Enviable, who races in Greenhalgh's distinctive colours with a green shamrock, has only had two starts and hasn't won. • 'I almost had to have a beer to function': How hoop won booze battle But Greenhalgh said the daughter of Frankel, who resumed when finishing third in a Warwick Farm maiden last month, has terrific ability. 'We have got a big opinion of her,' he said. 'She has shown us plenty and she could even be a (Group 1) Flight Stakes type of horse. 'Keep an eye on her during the spring. 'But whatever she does in the spring, she will be even better in the autumn.' Enviable is a $26 chance in early markets for the Flight Stakes. Wootton Verni, a Waller-trained French import who trialled exceptionally well at Randwick last week, is another that Greenhalgh has flagged with exciting potential. 'He could potentially even be an Epsom horse, but Chris (Waller) will wait and see,' Greenhalgh said.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Fruit market king Noel Greenhalgh identifies Melbourne Cup contender and other spring hopefuls
Well-known Brisbane owner and fruit market king Noel Greenhalgh has had horses finish first, second, third and fourth in Melbourne Cups and is excited about a potential Cup contender he has as part of his 2025 spring arsenal. Greenhalgh was a part-owner of 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip and finished runner-up and third the following year with Soulcombe and Sheraz. He was also in the ownership of Finche who finished fourth in 2018. It is European import Birdman, trained by Chris Waller, who has Greenhalgh up and about as a 2025 Cups contender. Earlier in the week, Waller said he was impressed by Birdman's two recent Sydney trials and said he had clearly matured since arriving in Australia as a northern hemisphere three-year-old. Birdman, co-owned by other heavy hitters including Ozzie Kheir, Brae Sokolski and Neil Werrett, hasn't won in five Australian starts but did finish runner-up in a 20-horse Group 2 Chairman's Quality (2600m) field during the Sydney autumn carnival. Greenhalgh said only now is the penny starting to drop for the promising stayer who he believes can turn potential into performance this spring. 'Birdman was purchased with the intention of being a Melbourne Cup horse,' Greenhalgh said. 'He has really needed the starts he has had in Australia so far, as coming from the northern hemisphere he is basically a year behind. 'His trials have been huge, for a stayer, and he is going really well. 'He has fully acclimatised now and there won't be any excuses for him this spring. 'He will be a Caulfield and Melbourne Cup horse. 'I've had horses run first, second, third and fourth in Melbourne Cups. 'It's quite amazing really, I don't know too many owners would have done that.' Birdman, who has been accepted for a 1400m handicap at Rosehill on Saturday, is currently a $51 Melbourne Cup chance and a $26 to win the Caulfield Cup in TAB's early fixed odds markets. Asked for another galloper from his squadron of horses that punters could follow during the spring, Greenhalgh nominated three-year-old maiden filly Enviable. Enviable, who races in Greenhalgh's distinctive colours with a green shamrock, has only had two starts and hasn't won. But Greenhalgh said the daughter of Frankel, who resumed when finishing third in a Warwick Farm maiden last month, has terrific ability. 'We have got a big opinion of her,' he said. 'She has shown us plenty and she could even be a (Group 1) Flight Stakes type of horse. 'Keep an eye on her during the spring. 'But whatever she does in the spring, she will be even better in the autumn.' Enviable is a $26 chance in early markets for the Flight Stakes. Wootton Verni, a Waller-trained French import who trialled exceptionally well at Randwick last week, is another that Greenhalgh has flagged with exciting potential. 'He could potentially even be an Epsom horse, but Chris (Waller) will wait and see,' Greenhalgh said.
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Trainer Chris Waller produced a masterstroke with a gear change and a drop in distance as Imperialist win the Rough Habit
Most punters were probably hoping that a Chris Waller -trained horse won the $250,000 Group 3 Rough Habit Plate at Doomben on Saturday but they wouldn't have expected it to be Imperialist. Sydney's premier trainer Waller had four horses in the 2000m race, headlined by three-year-old filly Belle Detelle, who started the contest as the $3 favourite but got too far back at the start and was never in contention as $71 shot Imperialist pulled off a massive upset. With Tommy Berry riding, the three-year-old gelding finished ahead of fellow roughie, Queenslander Deep Focus ($81), and the John O'Shea and Tom Charlton -trained King Of Thunder ($7.50) on the Heavy 8 track. Imperialist, by Churchill, races in the colours of Brisbane larrikin owner Noel Greenhalgh, who won the 2022 Melbourne Cup as a part-owner of Gold Trip. The gelding was coming off a disappointing ninth in the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) this month at Eagle Farm so punters can be excused for steering well clear of him. 'We didn't know what to do with him after his last start, we tried blinkers and it didn't work,' Waller said. 'So we took them off and suggested to Tommy that we ride him a bit closer to the speed today. 'He had a nice soft time up front and it sparked some interest. He brought some good form to Sydney from Melbourne, but then didn't quite stay the 2400 metres. 'We'll try to make him stay now. I'll have a chat to Tommy (Berry) to see what he says, but I do have some concerns over the 2400 metres. 'The Churchills tend to be slightly speedier horses, so we'll have a think over the next few days about whether or not we go there (to the Queensland Derby).' Imperialist adds some value to the Doomben quaddie, taking out the last at Doomben at a big price! ðŸ'° @TommyBerry21 @cwallerracing â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 17, 2025 Imperialist has firmed to $15 for the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31. Berry said he was happy to finish Doomben 10,000 day on a high note after riding his first winner in this year's Queensland Winter Carnival. 'Full credit to the team at home, this horse has always had ability but it hasn't been easy to get the best out of him,' Berry said. 'Chris took the blinkers back off and we just changed things up a little bit in the hope that we'd get a result. 'He's the best trainer of stayers around, so if he thinks he can get the horse to stay, then he can get the horse to stay. 'I've had a bit of luck in these colours in the past but it's been a while, so it was nice to salute in them again today.' Trainer Paul Shailer was delighted with the outstanding run of Deep Focus, who started big odds but charged home and is now a $15 chance for the Queensland Derby.
