2017 News Archive
11th December, 2017 – LIMITLESS LODGE IS WHERE THE STARS ARE BROKEN IN
The 2 leading Golden Slipper candidates for this season so far are Performer (Chris Waller) and Legend Of Condor (Gerald Ryan). Both of these precocious colts were broken in by the team at Limitless Lodge. In the lead up to the Slipper there will be many more Limitless Lodge graduates show their hand. Historically, horses broken in at the farm account for 10 to 20 percent of the field.
Other leading superstars to be broken in by Tim and the team include:
WINX – Number 1 racehorse in the World
CHAUTAUQUA – Champion sprinter of the World
LUGER – Hong Kong Group 1 Derby winner
CRITERION – ATC Derby and multiple Group 1 winner
ACE HIGH – VRC Derby and multiple Group 1 winner
ZOUSTAR – Multiple Group 1 winner and leading first season sire
1th December 2017 – WEEKEND WINNERS
It was a very successful weekend for Limitless Lodge graduates. Pounamau won the Group 1 Kingston Town Stakes in Perth and he was broken in and pre trained at the farm. The other Stakes winner was at Doomben in Brisbane and that was Sylpheed. She was also broken in and pre trained at the farm. Chris Waller had a great day at the races and all of his winners have passed through Limitless Lodge:
Sparky Lad
Seahampton
Noire
Invinzabeel
4th December, 2017 – EVENTING SEASON FINALE
Wallaby Hill Three Day Event was a massive event and an absolutely fantastic way to end the season. It is a great end of season goal. Emma Bishop had a well deserved and dominant win in the 3 Star. She has done a magnificent job producing this horse from a foal. Amanda Ross is an on an exciting horse for the future ,Koko Popping Candy, and in to 2nd. The event wasn’t a major success for me personally. Billy and Oaky were 1st and 2nd after the dressage but both retired on the cross country for different reasons. Oaky certainly lacks conviction around a tough 3 Star track even though he has had a lot of success up to and including that level . Billy I felt very sorry for. He missed Adelaide with a kidney infection and proved he hadn’t properly recovered . He just never felt right in his jump or gallop and I got to fence 18 and pulled him up. After such a distinguished career , I will retire him from CCI level and compete him solely at CIC 3 Star level. I have been very lucky to have some awesome horses in my career ,but he has been incredibly special and I look forward to him being around for a few years yet on the circuit..
Alex and her team at Wallaby Hill are to be commended for producing an incredible event in every way. It is firmly on the map now.
29th November, 2017 – LIMITLESS LODGE RACE DAY
Tim and his team are heading to the races at Wyong and it will be a great occasion to thank all the people that make Limitless Lodge the success that it is. We are sponsoring 2 races and 20 of the core staff are coming to have an afternoon off and hopefully back a winner or 2.
20th November, 2017 – ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS
All pressure went on Napoleon to win the CIC*** at Adelaide as he was my only ride and had won the previous year with Oliver Townend. He did a good test for 4th and then set sail across country. He really did feel fantastic until 2/3 of the way around and a miss communication resulted in a 20. Five fences later, it happened again and I walked home. Incredibly disappointing, but that is eventing. Napoleon has probably won more events this year than any horse on the circuit, but unfortunately we haven’t had the best runs at the big events of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. He is a very, very good horse who I have not lost confidence in and his time will come to win a major.
Adelaide will this year be remembered as the event where we found out of the passing of Gill Rolton. Gill had been very sick with cancer and battled bravely to be involved with this year’s event. Apparently she was very hands on, right up until the final week. What an amazing lady! She will be honoured with a State funeral on Monday 27th November.
It will also be remembered for the controversy surrounding Stuart Tinney and whether or not War Hawk had a refusal in the lake. This is the most polarising decision ever by a ground jury in Australia. Google the footage and see what you think……
All attention now heads toward Wallaby Hill where Billy (GV Billy Elliot) and Oaky (Napoleon) head toward the CCI***. Billy is protecting a record of 10 CCI*** where he has had no jumping penalties in the show jumping or cross country.
13th November, 2017 – SUCCESS AT SYDNEY FOR NAPOLEON
Sydney was a perfect lead up to Adelaide and Oaky (Napoleon) was in superb form. He won the Open Intermediate on a score of 37 which was the result of a dominant dressage and a double clear. He feels in good shape, heading off to Adelaide. Billy won the Advanced Dressage on a score of 33 and then unusually had 2 fences down. Little did I know, there was trouble brewing. A blood test and urine sample confirmed a kidney infection and Billy was immediately withdrawn. For such a sound horse he has missed several important events with strange ailments.
6th November, 2017 – ACE HIGH WINS THE DERBY FOR DAVID PAYNE
It was very exciting to have 2 Group 1 wins on Derby Day at Flemington for graduates of Limitless Lodge. Shillelagh won the Group 1 Kennedy Mile defeating Tom Melbourne. Both these horses are trained by Chris Waller and both were spelled and pre trained at Limitless Lodge.
Ace High was certainly a dominant winner of The Derby and it was great for David Payne. Ace High was broken in at Limitless Lodge by Tim and the team. He was a particularly difficult and head strong colt who was threatened with gelding all the way along. I suggest the owners are quite happy now that he wasn’t gelded. He certainly looks like the superior stayer and there appears no reason why he couldn’t train on to win the ATC Derby. He is currently relaxing in the spelling paddocks at Limitless Lodge.
31st October, 2017 – QUEENSLAND INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS
It was great to be back in Queensland to compete after an absence of 10 years. The committee at Tambourine did an awesome job in preparing a top level show up to CIC*** level. They were well rewarded with great entries and fantastic weather. Their plan is to now hold 2 international events each year which I will most definitely be supporting. Both my horses went great and it was certainly a good lead up to Adelaide. Napoleon finished 2nd and was beaten by a very good horse called Premonition ridden by Brett Cantle. Brett’s last good horse was Alchemy who I bought from him just before Sydney Olympics and still rate as one of my best horses ever. Premonition is in good hands and will be a force to be reckoned with in to the future. GV Billy Elliot went really well but was judged to have crossed his tracks coming out of the water when my reins slipped. Unfortunate, but that happens…….He feels in really good form.
31st October, 2107 – WINX CREATES HISTORY
Winx on Saturday won her 3rd Group 1 Cox Plate in record time to confirm her status as the world’s greatest racehorse. Every time she goes on the track she does something unbelievable. At Limitless Lodge we remember her very clearly as spending her early days in Barn 2, Stable 1. This stable has always housed our favourite fillies and it is unusual for us to put a breaker there. She must have been special right from the beginning. Other famous fillies to have graced that stable have included Snitzerland and Catkins. The world now awaits Winx as she will surely travel to take on all comers.
Other winners from the farm on the weekend were:
I Am Serious - Chris Waller
First Hand – M, W and J Hawkes
Who Shot Thebarman – Chris Waller
We are now deep in to the Spring and it is great to have so many runners representing us in all the big races.
Personally, I have several runners coming up over the next couple of weeks –
Cosmic Engine - Chris Waller
Seaway – Chris Waller
Goresbridge – Gerald Ryan
Boca Grande – Kim Waugh
17th October, 2017 – 2YO WINNERS ALREADY UP AND ROLLING
We take a lot of pride in the yearlings that we break in and watch them closely as they mature in to 2yos and get up racing. We also like to put a bit of a ranking on them as to whether they are going to be precocious or require more time. One of the obvious runners won on Saturday at Randwick - Legend Of Condor. He is a beautiful, strong and athletic colt trained by a master trainer of 2yos, Gerald Ryan.
Legend Of Condor and Performer (Chris Waller) have already staked their claims as very high class 2yos and both their trainers will no doubt now be plotting paths to the Golden Slipper. Very exciting!
Remember to look out for the Zoustar 2yos. They will fly.
17th October, 2017 – SPRING EVENTING PLANS
With 2 successful outings since the winter break for both my top horses, I can now formalise my plans for the next few weeks. Napoleon and GV Billy Elliot will have their next run at the Queensland International Horse Trials CIC*** (October 28th to 29th). They will then run again a fortnight later at Sydney Advanced (November 11th). This will be a good hit out just before Adelaide CIC*** (November 16th to 19th). Their final run will be at Wallaby Hill CCI*** (November 29th to December 3rd).
10th October, 2017 – THE BIG WINNERS KEEP COMING FROM LIMITLESS LODGE
The main race at Randwick on Saturday was the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes and it was won by Ace High (David Payne) and 2nd went to Tangled (Chris Waller). Both these colts were broken in at Limitless Lodge.
The main race at Flemington on Saturday was the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes and it was won by racing’s superstar, Winx. She now will proceed to the Cox Plate and aim for win 22 in succession. Winx was of course broken in at Limitless Lodge and we are very proud of her achievements.
4th October, 2017 – TWO WINS AT MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS
It was a great weekend in Melbourne where Billy won the 3 Star and Oaky won the 2 Star. They both led after the dressage and then were perfect after that. We went all that way searching for better ground than NSW has at the moment and were well rewarded.
The courses were up to height and a good challenge. They have both pulled up well and I’m currently assessing where they run next. The National Championships are held at Goulburn October 14/15 and on the same weekend there is a World Cup Jumping Show at Sydney. I guess if it rains and the ground improves we will go to Goulburn, otherwise we will showjump instead. They are both heading towards Adelaide CIC*** and Wallaby Hill CCI*** and will probably only need the one run before those big shows.
4th October, 2017 – PERFORMER WINS THE BREEDERS PLATE AT RANDWICK ON SATURDAY
It was with immense satisfaction that Performer was able to win the first two year old race of the season. He had showed his hand early as being a natural, strong and precocious runner. From the word go, he knew what he was doing and it was no surprise to us that he was able to win. It is always hard to line up these babies that come from all different directions. The one thing we have up our sleeve is we have plenty of babies to compare to and he was clearly in the top five of the many babies we broke in this year.
He now looks to be a very valuable colt who will head towards The Golden Slipper. It was interesting to note that the colts ran seven lengths quicker time than the fillies in the next race.
18th September, 2017 – FIRST OFFICIAL 2YO BARRIER TRIALS
Canterbury was the host of the first official 2yo trials for this racing season. We were proud to have many runners for the leading trainers including Team Hawkes, Chris Waller, Gerald Ryan and Gary Moore. We had several winners but probably the most impressive was Performer, trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Hugh Bowman who won well in slick time.
At Limitless Lodge, we broke in 172 horses for the season and hope to have some early runners and indeed several runners in the Golden Slipper. Indeed every year for the last 6 years, we have averaged 4 runners in the great race. My early tip is for Zoustar to be champion first season sire, based on the quality sorts that we had at the farm this year. He has passed on his athleticism and temperament. These are the most important characteristics for successful 2yo racing.
17th September, 2017 – WEEKEND WINNERS
It was another great day of racing at Randwick with Winx, of course the headline act, winning the Group 1 George Main Stakes. She certainly looked to be under pressure in the run but ended up doing what she always does and wins, being eased down in the end. Total class. Winx was broken in at Limitless Lodge and we all very proudly watch and cheer for her every time she goes around. Other graduates to win from the farm on the weekend were Comin’ Through and Libran.
The racing starts to really hot up now and with big numbers of graduates running every Saturday it is very fun to follow their progress and remember them when they were yearlings and every step along the way til they are the stars that they are now.
11th September 2017 – EVENTERS KICK OFF THEIR SPRING CAMPAIGN IN GREAT SHAPE
Billy (GV Billy Elliot) and Oaky (Napoleon) both kicked off the new season very well. Neither has had a run since Melbourne in June and I couldn’t have been happier with the result. Billy led the dressage and went double clear in the Advanced. Stuart Tinney went a little quicker than I did and just beat me. No shame to be beaten by Stuart, but Billy has only been in work for a month and on the very firm ground and a limited preparation I wasn’t prepared to push him faster. Oaky was 2nd after dressage in the Advanced Intermediate, had an unlucky rail and was perfect cross country. He ended up winning which was fantastic. Christine Bates and Adelaide Hill were second. Billy and Oaky will now head towards Werribee CIC*** in 3 weeks.
11th September 2017 – SPRING CARNIVAL KICKS OFF WITH A BANG
Saturday marked the official start of the Sydney Spring Carnival and we are proud to say Limitless Lodge graduates were able to win 6 of the 9 races. We hope this momentum can remain throughout the whole carnival as we have some very exciting horses that are yet to kick off. In particular, we can’t wait until the 2yo races start as we have had some very smart types through the yard. I am happy to say that Zoustar looks like he will be a leading light with his babies looking very smart. Look out for some Zoustar colts from the Chris Waller yard that are bound to go early.
The winners at Rosehill on Saturday from Limitless Lodge were –
Quick Defence – Chris Waller
Deploy – Gerald Ryan
Ravi – Peter Snowden
Menari – Gerald Ryan
Zumbelina – Chris Waller
Wayanka – Chris Waller
These horses were all either broken in, spelled, pre trained or rehabilitated at Limitless Lodge.
4th September 2017 – WINX WINS AGAIN IN A THRILLING FINISH
Winx does what Winx always does, and wins. This time, like her first up run, she had to overcome adversity. Red Excitement went out to a commanding lead and broke the heart of the rest of the field, but Winx was not to be deterred. She got there in the last bound in another very cool display by Hugh Bowman. Winx was broken in at Limitless Lodge and did her spelling and pre training at the farm. Red Excitement was successfully rehabilitated at the farm and does all his pre training here. Other winners on the program at Randwick that were Limitless Lodge graduates were Up’N’Rolling (Chris Waller) and Washington Heights (Gerald Ryan).
20th July 2017 – GRAND ARMEE
It is with great sadness that we can report on the passing of Grand Armee this morning. He died peacefully in his sleep in a stable at Limitless Lodge . After his stellar racing career with many Group 1 wins, he had a fantastic life eventing with Tim and winning all the way up the grades to international CIC *. After retiring from his competitive life, he has remained very active and loved by all at the farm. He was a great mentor for the babies especially holding their hand on the water walker. He will be buried next to Limitless and remembered forever as the great champion he was.
16th June 2017 – MELBOURNE 3DE DISAPPOINTMENT
Melbourne 3de was not the triumph that I was hoping it might be. All my rides since 2012 have finished in the top 3. Not this year. Billy did a great test and was double clear cross country and showjumping. Alas time penalties cross country at his first CCI for almost 3 years were our achilles heel. He has pulled up in terrific shape and will now have a good break while I am in England . He will head towards Adelaide . Not sure if he will do the CIC 3 star or CCI 4 star. Napoleon continued his up and down form sadly. He did a very good test and was truly disappointing cross country and I pulled up after 2 stops. He will head towards Adelaide and Wallaby Hill with a few lead ups. He reminds me very much of Andrew Hoy's Cheeky Calimbo. Very capable of winning and often does but can pull up cross country for no great reason. I hope to one day get to the bottom of it but the truth is it is too hard to believe when it actually happens. He is as talented a horse as I have ever had. His day to win a big event will come soon.
25th May 2017 – ALL SYSTEMS GO TO MELBOURNE 3 DAY EVENT
As the breakers start to come to an end, we can now fully concentrate on our mid season goal of Melbourne CCI***. Napoleon (Oaky) and GV Billy Elliot (Billy) are in really good form and I can’t wait to run them. This will be a strong year at Melbourne as it is the host of the Trans Tasman Australia V New Zealand. I have not made the team as I have run my horses so sparingly since their return from Europe. I honestly couldn’t be happier with their progress into the big event. Both my horses have had a lot of success at Melbourne. Oaky won the 1 star in 2013 and the 2 star in 2015 and here’s hoping for the 3 star in 2017. Billy won the 3 star in 2012 which booked his ticket to London as travelling reserve and he feels as good as ever.
13th April, 2017 – WINX AND CHAUTAUQUA DOMINATE THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
These 2 wonderful horses were without question ,the stars of the Sydney Autumn carnival. Winx carried on as she has been ..absolutely unbeatable and Chautauqua bounced back to win his 3rd TJ Smith in succession in dramatic style in the last bound.
We are extremely proud that they both started their racing careers at Limitless Lodge and feel privileged to have spent time with these champions in our barns.
21st February, 2017 – GREAT START TO THE EVENTING SEASON
Billy (GV Billy Elliot) and Oaky (Napoleon) both had wins at their first run of the year at the Sydney Eventing Summer Classic. I couldn’t have been happier with their performances in any way. Both led the dressage and felt fantastic jumping. Billy won the 3 star and Oaky won the Advanced Intermediate (known weirdly as the 2.5 star). The ground for this event on the cross country was close to perfect and a major improvement from the November event. Both my horses pulled up very well and I look forward to their next start.
In the meantime, they will head to a jumping show at Sydney this Saturday. They will spend the rest of this week in the paddock with a few light days in the water walker and maybe a little flat on Thursday and a little jump on Friday.
I haven’t galloped them this preparation yet and I was surprised how fit they were after their summer holiday. I think this is a combination of not giving them too long a break, working in the pool and plenty of cross country schooling.
So far so good…
11th February, 2017 – SPONSORS
I have 3 sponsors who are incredibly loyal and generous - Ceva, Ariat and Rose Hip Vital. They have superior products and I am honoured to represent them. I urge you to support them and look at their product range. Without their products, my team would not function.
10 February, 2017 – PLAN FOR EVENTERS THIS SEASON
As this is a non championship year, I intend to stay in Australia and campaign my 2 top horses – Napoleon and GV Billy Elliot exclusively here. Their first 2 outings for the year have been cancelled with the extreme heat forecast for this weekend. I was to compete at Morriset Show on Friday and at Northside Jumping on Sunday.
Their first eventing start is next weekend at Sydney where they will run in the 3 star. They will then head towards Albury CIC*** and then to Quirindi**. The next outing will then be Camden CIC*** where they will probably just do dressage and showjumping.
The first big target will be Sydney CIC*** in May and the next target will be to get on the Australian team for the Trans Tasman at Werribee CCI*** in June.
They will then have a little let up and I will make a plan to head towards Adelaide CCI****. At this stage, after Melbourne, I will go to England briefly to compete the 2 Irish 6 year olds that I left with Oliver Townend.
I’m looking forward to this year very much as not only do I have the 2 top black horses, but I have a whole bunch of very smart young horses that will be making appearances in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
10th February, 2017 – GRADUATES OF LIMITLESS LODGE RUNNING THIS SATURDAY AT CAULFIELD AND RANDWICK
As the racing starts to hot up, all the good horses are kicking off their autumn campaigns in the coming weeks. Australia’s best horse, Winx, resumes at Randwick and looks to be in great shape after 2 trials. She will be joined by several of her stable mates from the Chris Waller yard and we can’t wait to see them all back in action.
Please see below a complete list of runners that were broken in, pre trained and/or spelled at the farm –
Caulfield
Chautauqua – Hawkes
Redouble – Hawkes
Will’s Bid – Hayes
Overshare – Hawkes
Ameristralia - Hawkes
Randwick
Winx – Waller
Leebaz – Hawkes
Libran – Waller
Endless Drama – Waller
Sacred Master – Waller
Sezanne – Waller
Foxplay – Waller
French Fern – Payne
Dixie Blossoms – Quinton
Shillelagh – Waller
Vassal – Waller
Cauthen’s Power – Waller
Invinzabeel – Waller
Hogmanay – Waller
Liapari – Waller
We wish all the connections the very best of luck for Saturday and into The Championships.