Sydney storming trainer Chris Waller’s hawk eye for potential has been demonstrated by the success out here of a gelding that he plucked out of the end of the year sales at a bargain price in England in 2008.

Named Hawk Island, he had run three times in maidens for a fourth at two and two seconds at three. Following his juvenile effort he was described as being ‘backward and green (moved poorly); wandering,’ but they were a bit more complimentary at three: ‘Good topped colt, poor mover; fairly useful maiden.’

Conditioned in England on the hilly gallops that are typical of their training, Hawk Island has certainly not been a poor mover in Australia. In fact since he gained the benefit of the Waller training magic at Rosehill, the now 5-year-old has run 28 times for nine wins and six seconds and $450,000.

The biggest of his successes, one that set up him for a tilt at the Sydney Cup in April, and, presumably, consideration for the 2011 Melbourne Cup, came on Saturday when he careered away under top weight of 59.0 kgs to take the Parramatta Cup (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens. It was a trifecta for Waller as he also prepared second and third.

Earlier a winner of the Wyong Gold Cup and six other Sydney races and fourth in the Group 2 Hill Stakes, Hawk Island could go on to be the best performer by Hawk Wing, a magnificent racehorse by the Mr. Prospector sire Woodman who visited Coolmore in the Hunter Valley in 2004 and 2005. Hawk Wing has had about forty Australian bred winners, but none have won a stakes.

Breeders looking at Hawk Wing mares should note that he was a champion at three for England and Ireland and World Champion at four. He ran 12 times for seven Group1 cheques, wins in the England Eclipse Stakes (2000m), Lochinge Stakes (1600m) and Irish National Stakes (1400m, 2yos, track record time) and seconds in the English Two Thousand Guineas (1600m), Derby (2400m), Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1600m) and Irish Champion Stakes (2000m).

Raced by the enthusiastic stable supporter Ken Hunt, the Chris Waller trained Hawk Island is from Crimphill, a Sadler’s Wells winner to 2200m and three times Listed placed in Ireland. Crimphill’s great grandam Whispering Star was a sister to Castle Mona, the dam of Ksar, a high class European winner and English Derby fourth who in the early 1980s stood at Woodland’s stud, Hunter Valley when it was owned by Derby – King Ranch.

The next dam, Peggy Hills, was a half-sister to Pappa Fourway, a 150 pounds ($300) yearling who rose up to be a champion European sprinter (12 wins, including the Ascot King’s Stand Stakes and Newmarket July Cup) and a good sire in America.

Hawk Island’s victory in the Parramatta Cup on Saturday meant that Chris Waller has the remarkable achievement of winning at least one race on each of the last 23 Rosehill Garden meetings. Also, since the 2010-11 racing year began on August 1, there have been only been seven Sydney Saturday meetings on which he did not win. He had four winners at Rosehill Gardens on August 14 .