Gai Waterhouse won three races on Caulfield Guineas Day, trained a double on Emirates Melbourne Cup Day and claimed centre stage on Oaks Day when securing the time honoured Blue Riband event and her
135th Group 1 victory as PINOT (by Pierro) claimed the VRC OAKS.
Waterhouse and co trainer Adrian Bott have had a very good carnival.
Like the roses, Waterhouse and Bott bloomed on Oaks day.
Her filly Pinot (2nd favourite) drew on Waterhouse bone and muscle fitness – trained into her horses like no other trainer can; a skill inherited from her late-father, Tommy Smith.
Pinot missed the start, then worked around the field in the early stages three deep to eventually sit at the girth of the leader before charging away.
Pinot has been aimed at the VRC Oaks since the start of this preparation and planning and patience paid dividends when the powerhouse filly forged clear at the finish to win the 2500 metre marathon by a length and a quarter.
Favourite Aloisia had enjoyed a good run before wilting as Pinot dug in.
As Pinot and Waterhouse's great ally Steve Baster trotted back to scale, the media assembled in the mounting yard and waited for Waterhouse's famously flamboyant entrance; like the day she won the Emirates Melbourne Cup with Fiorente in 2013, waving like the royal she is from the balcony before sweeping into the mounting yard.
Adrian Bott answered the media's questions and delivered a solid straight bat. There was a dash of Waterhouse effervescence, with Bott declaring Pinot a 'superstar', then saying 'not everything went to plan' but 'she was too good'.
Waterhouse walked into the mounting yard surrounded by well wishes and then let out a Can-Can kick for the TV cameras.
She slipped off the fur and gave the media, her full attention.
The legendary trainer and new young training partner have only been together since the start of last season but they work to a couple's rhythm.
Bott tapped Waterhouse on the shoulder midway through her interview, asking if she wanted to take to the winner's podium, but she insisted he go, a statement of sorts that Bott was not some passenger but a fair dinkum equal partner.
"It is special, it really is," Waterhouse said. "She came to Melbourne a maiden. She came here with no accolades or anything ... and not looked back since then."
"Adrian is so sweet. He said 'It's your Oaks, you go out' (to meet the media). I said 'No you go out', he said 'You go out', I said 'You go out'," she said with a giggle.
It was her first Oaks saying it was 'so exciting' but it was Waterhouse's wonderful character that shone through, as always.
She described Pinot's pre-race demeanour: "Heavens! You know I watched her walk around. Her neck was down, saying 'Hey man, I've been here 1000 times before'."
Waterhouse was a little more deliberate when praising Baster, whose alliance with Waterhouse for many years hasn't exactly been Tommy Smith and George Moore but Baster has been a key ally in Melbourne, the Sydney stable's outpost.
Pinot's win was his seventh from his past 10 rides for her.
"Steve, he's such a blessing. We've had an association on and off for 20 years. He knows the way we train, he knows the way we want them ridden," she said, adding Baster was 'up at three o'clock in the morning' to ride Waterhouse's Flemington team, even a single horse having a light canter.
Waterhouse, like her father, like his contemporaries Bart Cummings and Colin Hayes and all the others who were 'lifers', is motivated by the next big carnival, the next big horse.
Baster told Waterhouse some months back that Pinot reminded him of Tuesday Joy, a former champion Waterhouse mare.
"That's good enough for me," she said, mentioning something about next year's Melbourne Cup before dashing away!
Pierro might have been a Golden Slipper winner, but has also has now proven himself as a Classics
A $200,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Coolmore draft Pinot runs for a partnership that also includes Newgate Farm and Kate Waterhouse.
Her overall record is now an impressive three wins and two seconds from six starts with prizemoney of $733,275.
She is certainly bred to win an Oaks being a half-sister to stakes-winner Dizlago and Group 2 placed Lucky Lago from Group 1 AJC Australian Oaks winner Dizelle, a full sister to HK Horse of the Year Vengeance of Rain.
Bred, foaled and raised at Coolmore, Pinot has an interesting 2 x 4 double cross of champion sire Zabeel, so the 2500 metres of the Group 1 VRC Oaks held hold no fears for her!
A good filly deserves a good name and Pinot does sound like the Oaks queen she is.
Dizelle has a yearling filly by Fastnet Rock and has foaled this spring producing a colt by Written Tycoon.
Pinot is the first Group 1 winner for Pierro, the Champion Australian First Season Sire and now the leading Australian Second Season Sire.
The Golden Slipper winning son on of Lonhro stands at a fee of $49,500.