At 4:32pm on Saturday afternoon 21 March 2015, Gai Waterhouse yet again took centre stage.
GAI isn't famous for being famous. GAI's famous for training two-year-olds to be great.
Gai Waterhouse had her name engraved on a sixth Golden Slipper trophy to equal the record set by Australia's greatest ever trainer - her father TJ Smith.
Vancouver showed why he has been the dominant juvenile this season, unbeaten in his first 3 race starts to date at Listed, Group 3 and then Group 2 level, punters stuck solid, sending him out a $2.50 favourite despite the wide barrier to add a Group 1 to his resume in Saturday's $3.5 million World's Richest 2yo race over 1200m.
Tommy Berry rode him over from gate 16 to take up a position better than midfield with Haybah setting a slick pace.
As the field thundered for home,
Gai Waterhouse could not lose - with Vancouver joined by stablemate English.
However the colt's superior power took over and he kicked into another gear with 100m to go and put three-quarters of a length on the filly.
English had eyeballed the colt in the straight but couldn't quite get there and held on for second.
Earlier in the day, some misguided focus at Rosehill had been placed upon a U.S.A celebrity best known for just being a celebrity.
The ATC wasted their money hiring Nicole Richie. She was simply brushed aside for the
"real celebrity", the lady who really owns the track.
VANCOUVER winning meant that Australia's First Lady of Racing, Hall of Fame - Champion Trainer and Australia's Living Treasure GAI WATERHOUSE had achieved her sixth Slipper.
When the mosh pit had disbursed and the clicking of camera fell silent, GAI reflected upon where this Slipper ranked?
"It's the most emotional, very much so," Gai said.
"I always had confidence in the colt and I knew that we had the fillies that were very, very good.
"Dad would've been so proud of VANCOUVER, because he is exactly what he looked for in a horse. He just ticked every box, all the way along. Every time they said he couldn't, he did."
So, .... Why the most emotional?
"Because of Dad" she openly admitted.
GAI acknowledges she rarely cries at the track after a Group 1 victory any more. It never used to be this way.
"You become more seasoned," she said.
"The last time would've been when Ha Ha won the Slipper."
That was 2001, when she claimed the trifecta in the Golden Slipper and it started a landslide of wins that now rivals her father.
She's prepared
Dance Hero (2004), Sebring (2008), Pierro (2012) and Overreach (2013) ... "But this is different," she said. "It was important for this colt to carry the chalice."
Waterhouse flittered between her three jockeys in the minutes before the Golden Slipper, talking to a clutch of different owners each time.
She has many masters to serve, but on Slipper Day she's now equal to the greatest one of them.
"The last words Dad said to me were,
'You make a man sick. You can't train two-year-olds', then he passed away two days later.
"After I thought - I'm never going to let that be my thing."
"That is a driving force for me."
"The Melbourne Cup is special but this is the race (Golden Slipper) all Australians want to win !
"It's a dream come true," Gai said.
"It is a stallion-making race and he will make a stallion.
"As for the filly, I thought she looked to be the winner but he was just too dominant."
Gai compares Vancouver in the same way she does of her 2012 Champion two-year-old Pierro but will not 100% commit at this early stage to Vancouver starting in the Sires' Produce or Champagne Stakes.
"He and Pierro are very similar," she said.
"They are both drop-dead gorgeous and incredibly masculine.
“They are similar horses, great temperaments, both the dominant colts of their generation and they have this amazing will-to-win,” Gai said.
“Pierro went on to prove he was a champion and Vancouver is on the way to doing exactly that — he is a joy to train.”
"But we'll just let the dust settle. I don't know whether this colt will go to the Sires'.
"I'm very mindful of his three-year-old season.
"There has already been interest from studs and we want to make sure we do the right thing by him."
Gai's third runner Speak Fondly who had drawn wide went forward early but was trapped 3 deep on pace and simply worked too hard and tired the final 100m to finish in 11th position.
It was a second Slipper win for jockey Tommy Berry who claimed the race on the Gai trained Overreach two years ago.
On that occasion the first person to congratulate him was his twin brother Nathan.On Saturday it was his mother Julie, partner Sharnee and new baby Kaidan who celebrated and comforted him as they remembered Nathan who past away a year ago.
"I've got no words," Berry said.
"Nathan is with me all the time. I've got my son here, Kaidan. One person leaves you in the world and another one comes along. I'm just so blessed to have my family here."
Tommy Berry said Vancouver had the field covered during the run and believes he will only be winning by further in the Sires Produce and Champagne Stakes.
“Like I said, he’ll win the Slipper then go on and win the Sires and the Champagne by further."
“I’ve got one right. I hope I’m right about the other two.
“He just does it so easily. He had them covered easily today. He’s a pleasure to ride.”
It was Vancouver’s fourth consecutive win.
He remains unbeaten with more than $2.3 million next to his name.
We recommend this fantastic filly to you:
