Chris Waller can draw level with the world record for Group 1 wins in a calendar year if Beiwacht or Angel Capital wins the $1 million CF Orr Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.
Waller has trained 27 Group 1 winners in 2026, and a win in the 1400m race would take him to 28, matching the mark Aidan O’Brien set in 2017 and equalled this year, Racing and Sports reported.
It would also be a first Orr Stakes for the Hall of Fame trainer, who has prepared 213 Group 1 winners in his career but has never won the race.
Waller reached 27 on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington last Saturday, when Autumn Glow won the Champions Mile and Birdman took out the Champions Stakes.
The race with O’Brien
O’Brien moved to 28 for the year when Benvenuto Cellini won the Breeders’ Cup Turf on October 31, Just Horse Racing reported, and the Irish trainer still has chances to add to that tally.
Read more: Autumn Glow Wins Champions Mile to Make It 15 From 16
He is set to run Lambourn in the Bahrain International on Friday, a race promoted to Group 1 status for the first time, The Irish Times reported, and will also have Group 1 runners in the Japan Cup later this month and at the Hong Kong International meeting in December.
Waller is also likely to have Group 1 runners at the Perth carnival in the coming weeks.
McDonald back at Sandown on Beiwacht
Beiwacht and Angel Capital both worked at Sandown on Tuesday morning to get a look at the track, with James McDonald riding Beiwacht. McDonald will partner the Godolphin four-year-old on Saturday, his first ride at Sandown since 2018, Betsy reported.
“I’ve ridden him in trackwork a little bit, but this will be my first sit on him under pressure and I’m looking forward to it,” McDonald said.
“Obviously he’s a very good horse, it looks a strong race, but he’s definitely up to that.
“He’s got a new challenge here with Sandown, but I’m sure he’ll cope pretty well.”
Read more: CF Orr Stakes 2026: Jimmysstar Leads Maher’s Hat-Trick Bid
Beiwacht is a triple Group 1 winner, having won last year’s Golden Rose and this year’s All Aged Stakes and Memsie Stakes. He ran third behind Skyhook in the Golden Eagle at his most recent start.
Angel Capital won his first Group 1 in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes this spring before finishing eighth behind Tempted in The Everest.
The Orr Stakes returns to Sandown, where it was run from 1966 to 1996 before moving to Caulfield. Ciaron Maher’s Jimmysstar is chasing back-to-back wins in the race.
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