One noticeable area where
Gai Waterhouse has outperformed her legendary trainer father
TJ Smith, is in the making of
stallions.
GAI & T.J
To be fair on this point, in TJ’s era, a colt was lucky to make it through his first preparation at
Tulloch Lodge intact because it was a time when the home grown stallions did not command the respect enjoyed by present day sires.
Two of Gai’s best racehorses,
Northern Meteor and Sebring have made an immediate impact at
Widden Stud.
Northern Meteor was bred and raced by Gooree Stud.
He is the sire of Saturday’s
Group 1 Golden Rose contender – 3yo filly Speak Fondly, who just like her sire, is also a home grown product for Gooree Stud who coincidentally, won the Golden Rose last year with
Hallowed Crown.
SPEAK FONDLY
Speak Fondly is out of the mare
Blab by Flying Spur and descends from a family that enjoyed wonderful success being trained from
Tulloch Lodge.
Blab’s dam is Don’t Stop Talking (Ahonoora) - a half-sister to the champion filly
Bounding Away.
Bounding Away (by Biscay) was bred by TJ Smith. She won her first five starts including the Blue Diamond Stakes and Golden Slipper. In the Golden Slipper, Bounding Away defeated Gooree Stud’s filly Just Blooming.
Bounding Away lost her unbeaten record to Diamond Shower in the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes but her juvenile season was not over. The daughter of Biscay bounced back to defeat Myocard and Diamond Shower in the AJC Champagne Stakes.
At three, Bounding Away won the Group 1 Flight Stakes, Group 1 AJC Oaks and Group 1 Orlando Wines Classic.
Don’t Stop Talking is a half-sister to the controversial Sir Tristram gelding Glastonbury whose win in the 1994 Group 1 AJC Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick set off a sustained demonstration from punters because of its massive form reversal. Ten days earlier Glastonbury had finished a tailed off last of 18 runners in the Group III Colin Stephen Stakes.
Tragically, Speak Fondly’s sire Northern Meteor and her dam Blab both died within ten days of each other in July 2013.
Northern Meteor sired a Golden Rose winner in his first crop with Zoustar who defeated Sebring’s multiple Group 1 winner Dissident.
Besides Speak Fondly, Blab also produced Wild And Proud who defeated Manawanui in the 2012 Group II Hobartville Stakes.
With the Lady Trainer - Gai Waterhouse, Speak Fondly and Gooree Stud both have a wonderful opportunity to succeed in the Golden Rose.
Speak Fondly is clearly the best filly in Australia and far too good for her peers.
GAI with SPEAK FONDLY after winning the Sliver Shadow Stakes.
However connections have turned their back on wining the Flight Stakes and claiming the third leg of the Princess Series, in the attempt to win the race they have dominated in recent history.
To back up in seven days and to take on the boys in the Golden Rose is a massive ask.
However if any trainer in the world can achieve this result -
it’s Gai.
On behalf of the Team at
Dynamic Syndications, we
wish Gai, the Speak Fondly’s owners and all the Team at Gai Waterhouse Racing, the best of luck on Saturday as we wait to see if the only girl in the race can beat the boys.
If you wish to become involved with racehorse ownership and have shares in a horse with GAI - contact DYNAMIC SYNDICATIONS.
Go Gai !