Laurence Wernars has owned horses for some 25 years and looks to have a couple of chances of breaking his Gr 1 duck this season, including with Friday night’s Drill Hall Stakes winner New Predator.

Wernars has won plenty of Gr 2s and went close to landing a Gr 1 last season when the Johan Jansevan Vuuren-trained Brazuca only just failed in the Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville.

Top jockey Weichong Marwing called New Predator probably the best three-year-old around after his start to finish win on Friday night.

Wernars said he would leave it to trainer Janse Van Vuuren to choose the next target for the Australian-bred New Approach colt.

Wernars believes New Predator will get the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 trip if  “ridden cold.” However, Brazuca is a ready-made Daily News candidate, while New Predator’s speed makes him probably better suited to the 1600m trip of the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

Meanwhile, a whole new career has been opened to the always highly regarded Dennis Drier Triptique, whose running on second in the Drill Hall proved he is more than just a sprinter.

By David Thiselton