With a wealth of high-quality three-year-olds in his stable, Chris Waller has decided to split his team between Melbourne and Sydney for the current season.

While Hidrix, Central Europe, and Striking Alibi will represent the stable in The Rosebud at Rosehill on Saturday, Waller has dispatched Confederation south to compete in the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

Confederation arrived in Melbourne last week and completed a jump-out at Flemington last Friday, finishing at the rear of the five-horse field.

The son of Wootton Bassett had two starts in his first campaign, chasing home his stablemate Hidrix on debut in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill in January before running second last behind Stretan Ruler in the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) at the same track three weeks later.

Racing NSW stewards placed a warning on Confederation following that run, which was partly instrumental in Waller deciding to send the colt to Melbourne.

Confederation had one trial, finishing second at Rosehill last month, before heading to the trainer’s Flemington base.

“He doesn’t like the Rosehill 1100 (metres),” Waller said of the decision to send Confederation to Melbourne.

“He had a couple of runs out of the shute and he used to get a bit aggressive and run out to the left, and it cost him a couple of times.”

Waller mentioned he was still assessing his new season three-year-olds, trying to determine which of his team had made the progression from two to three.

However, the trainer has confidence Confederation will make the necessary step.

“We go by feel,” Waller stated.

“He looks like he’s come back well, and Damian Lane rode him on Friday, and he was pretty happy with him.”

While Lane partnered Confederation in the jump-out at Flemington last week, he switches to Hard Kick on Saturday.

Ben Melham will ride Confederation on Saturday.

For punters interested in Confederation’s chances in the Vain Stakes, explore the sports betting options available.

Amidst Venus Williams and Alex Eala’s blossoming relationship, the American’s husband Andrea and the Filipino’s father Michael have become best-buddies. The two men recently shared a sweet interaction on social media, showcasing the depth of their bond.

Williams and Eala met each other on court for the first time earlier this year as opponents. The duo competed against each other at the ASB Classic, with the pairing of Eala and Iva Jovic getting the better of Williams and Elina Svitolina. A few months later, the two WTA stars joined forces at the Bad Homburg Open. Competing alongside each other in Germany, the pair had a start to their campaign as they ousted Catherine Harrison and Alexandra Osborne in straight sets. They eventually went down against Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls in the quarterfinals.

As Venus Williams and Alex Eala’s bond grows stronger on and off the tennis court, Williams’ husband Andrea Preti and Eala’s father Michael recently shared a sweet interaction on social media. The latter took to his Instagram story to share a picture of Williams’ autographed book ‘Strive’, and thanked the tennis star for the gesture. Reposting the story, Preti wrote,

“♥️💪♥️.”

Eala’s father Michael has been an important part of the Filipino tennis star’s journey on the WTA Tour. Meanwhile, Preti has been one of Williams’ loudest cheerleaders as the American returns to competition.

Venus Williams and Alex Eala open up about their relationship

Venus Williams and Alex Eala were most recently seen in action alongside each other at the National Bank Open. The duo partnered up for the women’s doubles event at the tournament, but suffered a disappointing opening round exit in Toronto.

After their loss, the pair opened up about their relationship. Williams heaped praise on the rising star, saying,

“Alex is a world star. She’s just incredible. Besides the fact of her tennis, she’s an incredible person, well spoken, and just an impressive young lady. So I like being around those kinds of things. I think we both lift each other up.”

Meanwhile, Eala emphasised how competing alongside Williams was motivating her to give her all, explaining,

“When I’m on court with Venus there’s a lot I can learn about mentality. When I’m on court with her it also pushes me to kind of match her energy. So of course when you’re on court with someone who plays like her, you want to kind of give it your all.”

After wrapping up their campaign in Toronto, Venus Williams and Alex Eala arrived in Ohio for the Cincinnati Open. Williams made an opening round exit at the event, while Eala is gearing up to compete against Elena Gabriela-Ruse for her round of 64 encounter.