If Saturday's results are anything to go by, it is no surprise that
HALL OF FAME - Champion Trainer and Australia’s First Lady of Racing Gai Waterhouse is primed for a huge autumn carnival.
Under Gai’s guidance, at Royal Randwick Australia’s First Lady of Racing had 4 winners including a Group 1, both the juvenile Group 2 events and a Listed Race whilst at Flemington, she took out the Group 1 Australian Guineas.
AUSTRALIAN GUINEAS - Gr1
Wandjina – coming into his race after a convincing win in the Group 3 VRC C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington at his previous start, added his name to the Group 1 VRC Australian Guineas honour roll.
Wandjina (3c
Snitzel x La Bamba) saluted ahead of Alpine Eagle and Stratum Star, to become the second Group 1 VRC Australian Guineas winner in as many years by Champion sire
Snitzel.
Ridden by Brett Prebble, he was quick to credit Wandjina’s regular jockey Damien Oliver, commenting "Obviously Damien did all the work on him and he was unlucky he couldn't get off his suspension but it was my gain,"
"He's tough and he's fit and Gai said `make your own luck, go the front on him'," Prebble said.
CANTERBURY STAKES - Gr1
Cosmic Endeavour won Gai’s other
Group 1 for the day scoring in the ATC Canterbury Stakes at Royal Randwick, boosting her earnings to over $1,400,000 for owners.
A $230,000 purchase from the draft of Willow Park Stud, Cosmic Endeavour (Northern Meteor x Crevette) hit the line hard to score over short-priced favourite Catkins and Criterion. After finishing runner-up to Danesiri in the Group 3 Guy Walter Stakes last week at Warwick Farm, Gai was confident about the mare’s Group 1 ability.
"This week, just every single day she kept improving,"
said Waterhouse.
"She's beaten the boys before and I knew she was cherry ripe and this was the time to run,"
Waterhouse said.
FIREBALL STAKES - LR
Another of Gai’s stakes winners was
Nayeli. This 3yo filly took out the Listed ATC Fireball Stakes ahead of Peeping and Kuro at Royal Randwick. Nayeli (More Than Ready x Wasimah (by Danehill)) was a $230,000 purchase from the draft of Corrumbene Stud has now won three of her six starts for loyal stable owners Greg and Donna Kolivos.
TODMAN SLIPPER TRIAL – Gr2
In the 2yo events Gai made it a won act affair and in the process, has delivered to the market the rightful favourite for the Golden Slipper.
In the boys division - the Todman Slipper Trial Gr2.,
Vancouver lowered the boom on Headwater in Saturday's $300,000 event, to keep his record at and perfect three wins from three starts and remove any doubts that he is the horse to beat in the $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes in a fortnight’s time.
Winner of the Breeders Plate Listed Race back in October, Vancouver resumed with a dominant win in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill on January 31.
Ridden by Tommy Berry for Gai Waterhouse, Vancouver parked outside Furnaces in the run.
Blake Shinn was hard at work on Headwater coming around the turn and despite Furnaces sticking with Vancouver for a short time, Gai’s son of Medaglia D'Oro asserted his superiority in the closing stages to win by three and a quarter lengths from Furnaces with Headwater two lengths back in third.
"He certainly puts any question they had on the colt well and truly behind them,”
"He's the most dominant colt in Australia, he was absolutely scintillating the way he ate up his rivals today.
"I just look forward to him in the Slipper.”
Vancouver is often compared to the former Gai Waterhouse-trained champion
Pierro (by Lonhro) who had a similar record heading towards the Golden Slipper. Pierro won the Breeders Plate, Silver Slipper Stakes and Todman Stakes on his way to sweeping the two-year-old Triple Crown.
Bred by John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds, Vancouver was purchased by Gai Waterhouse for $185,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of Coolmore Stud.
A half-brother to Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes winner Juste Momente (Giant's Causeway) and Listed stakes-winner Captain Coltish (Fusaichi Pegasus), Vancouver is the tenth named foal of Skates, the stakes-placed Danehill mare, a half-sister to three stakes-winners including Group 3 winner and sire Murtajill (Rock of Gibraltar) who won the Breeders' Plate in 2006 and to Dynamic’s syndicated Bradbury's Luck (Redoute's Choice) who won the Listed Canonbury Stakes in 2004 and Magic Millions in 2005.
Skates is a daughter of Skating (At Talaq) whose wins included the Group 1 STC Winfield Classic and Group 1AJC Doncaster Handicap in addition to the Group 2 AJC Surround Stakes and Group 3 AJC Light Fingers Stakes.
Skates produced a Pierro colt last spring and wisely was bred back to Medaglia D'Oro (USA) last year.
Medaglia D’oro is working extremely well with Danehill line mares here in Australia. With his oldest just 3yo’s in the southern hemisphere, he has produced 13 runners to date bred on this cross for 7 individual winners and 4 placed and specifically, 2 of his 3 Stakes Winners he has produced here are out of Danehill line mares – VANCOUVER and NOSTRADAMUS.
Importantly, Dynamic and Gai combined in Melbourne at the Inglis premier sale last week to buy a wonderfully bred MEDAGLIA D’ORO / TRICK OF LIGHT Brown Filly. The dam was a wonderful racehorse, winning 6 races including a Gr2 win and a Gr3 placing. Our filly is bred on the same cross as VANCOUVER (out of a Danehill line mare) and boasts a magnificent black type pedigree.
REISLING SLIPPER TRIAL – Gr2
Gai opened the day on a high when her 2yo Filly
English won the Gr2 Reisling Slipper Trial comfortably and booked her spot in the Slipper.
Owned by the Kelly family of Newhaven Park, they are no strangers to success in Australia's greatest juvenile race and they go into the 2015 Slipper with a top chance.
English bolted in on debut at Kembla on January 31 and has been taken along quietly since then, but was tuned up for this assignment with an impressive trial win on February 23.
Tackling Black Type for the first time, English made it look easy, settling midfield for Blake Shinn and then tracking Ottoman into the race at just the right time.
She sped to the lead and held off all challengers to win the 1200 metre dash by best part of a length and has now won two out of two with prizemoney just shy of $200,000.
"This is a very special filly,” Waterhouse said. "She's superbly bred by Encosta De Lago, I can't fault her.
"Today was her chance of saying, “yes I'm a real live Slipper hope” and she goes in on her third run, - perfect timing.”
Blake Shinn was full of praise for the filly. "We had the race won I felt at the 250 (metres), so I just tried to look after her as best I could,” he said.
"Super impressive win!”
