YAO DASH – has the “YAO FACTOR” and Dynamic Syndications highly promising 3yo gelding trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott made it 2 wins from 2 starts and has banked $113,750 in earnings when stepping up from a 1200m mid-week maiden to a high quality Saturday Class 1300m 3yo event and led from start to finish to easily claim the $125,000, Strawberry Hill Stud Bm 72 Handicap (1300m) at Randwick on Saturday 7 September.
YAO DASH winning at Randwick
Under the expert horsemanship of gun jockey Nash Rawiller, Yao Dash jumped well from the barriers and the 3yo Smart Missile x Rahy Storm gelding controlled the race.
Yao Dash and Nash Rawiller
Yao Dash (57kg) wanted to get on with the job early but Nash kept him in check before allowing more rein entering the main straight and then again at the 350m.
With a tap on the shoulder to get going, Yao Dash more than capably did just that and established a winning margin that allowed Rawiller to ease his mount down before the line, still with a 1/2L margin.
At no stage in the event was Yao Dash under any pressure or threat.
The time was 1.16.23 on the Soft 5 with the final 600m in 33.82.
Having smashed the Class Record on debut by 0.55 secs, the time here at his second race start will stand as a class record as it’s the first running of this event.
This race field was more than useful and by the end of spring, this race is sure to have produced a slew of Stakes Winners.
The NSW TAB firmed Yao Dash's Golden Rose quote from $26 into $15 following the win.
Having been forced to give serious consideration to a seven-figure offer from overseas for Yao Dash after his debut win and the Owners rejecting same, Dynamic Syndications Dean and Adam Watt together with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have some serious thinking to do after Yao Dash beat a field of budding stars.
3yo filly Funstar (by Adelaide) (58kg) under James McDonald who entered the event as unbeaten in 2 starts, tried hard finishing runner-up whilst 3yo filly Emeralds (by Sebring) (51kg) a last start Kembla winner with the big pull in the weights for apprentice Robbie Dolan, coming home well for third.
Waller had been spruiking to the media for weeks his filly Funstar was his next big horse in his stable following on from Winx. She accounted for the rest but was never a chance here of defeating Yao Dash.
Emeralds looked sensational in the pre-parade and with the big weight advantage proved very competitive to be beaten 1.3 lengths.
Easing early favourite Pandemic (James Cummings) was also unbeaten with 2 wins from 2 runs coming into this race and he drifted late in the market to ease out to second favourite ($2.60 out to $3.40) to finish 2.8 lengths fourth.
Trainer Joe Pride couldn’t believe his horse Superium wasn’t pre-race favourite and voiced his displeasure to various media outlets.
Pride boasted that “they all have to beat my fella”.
Pride then questioned the credentials of Yao Dash in an interview on Sky Thoroughbred Central as the runners went out onto the track.
“He (Yao Dash) is only a maiden winner” referring to Pride’s horse Superium had been 4th in the Rosebud (LR) and was being first past the post in the Up & Coming Gr3 but to lose it on protest.
Pride was adamant his horse would be hardest to beat.
“I know he is not favourite, but he is one to beat in my mind,” Pride said.
“He has what they want – black-type form.
“It is a much harder race than I thought it would be when I picked it out after his last start. I still have confidence I’m taking the best horse to the race.”
“We have put the winkers on him because he is obviously still learning, and they should straighten him up.”
The bookmakers begged to differ on Pride’s opinion and started early betting with Godolphin's unbeaten Pandemic the early favourite on the back his electric turn of foot to win over 1100m three weeks earlier.
Pandemic beat Chris Waller's filly Maddi Rocks that day and she had supporters at $7.50 into $6.50.
However it was Waller’s stablemate Funstar and Dynamic Syndications Yao Dash that bookmakers rated the hardest to beat after both had received early support.
Waller was glowing in his praise for Funstar, which he has at the top of his list of potential spring stars after a couple of winter wins. She is on the way to the Gr1 Flight Stakes.
Dynamic’s Dean Watt countered that Yao Dash, whose debut win in a Canterbury maiden was impressive in margin and on the clock, is a Caulfield Guineas style horse.
Dean Watt
“He is only going to get better as he steps up to this trip. He’s just exciting,” Watt said.
As it panned out, the punters were right as YAO DASH easily defeated Superium by 2.9 lengths who ended up back into fifth position whilst Maddi Rocks was a further 0.2 lengths back in sixth.
Yao Dash had been sensationally supported in betting since Wednesday and was backed in from $5.50 to eventually start $3.20 favourite as they jumped.
Our tactics were simple and Nash carried them out perfectly.
On paper the speed map had us as a clear leader with no obvious alternative leader in the race.
There were a couple of go forward horses in Superium and Pretty Brazen but neither of these were leaders and then pre-race, the connections of Pretty Brazen announced they were going to have their horse ridden quietly.
That was music to our ears as there would be no pressure.
We wanted Nash to run along for the first 300m to the 1000m to string the field out and then control the tempo until the home turn before letting rip in the straight.
Our belief with the rail out 8 metres and a tail wind in the straight, it would be difficult for back markers to make a lot of ground on the day and that’s how it panned out throughout the afternoon.
Winners !
After returning to scale, being greeted by thunderous applause from a large contingent of loyal Dynamic owners, Nash Rawiller was interviewed on Sky and said:
Nash Rawiller
“He has taken the next step. You never get over confident but I pictured that he would be the sort of horse who would take natural improvement from his first race.
“He has been a little bit slow for the penny to drop, but once he gets it, he gets it.
“I was pretty impressed with him today and I tried to get him there without too much of getting him to flick his tail, it was a really strong performance.
“He has a beautiful action and a great attitude and it is going to take him a long way,” Nash said.
Co-trainer Adrian Bott said “He has given us all a bit of thinking to do about the path forward. So obviously it was a good test today with a quality field and a huge amount of respect for the opposition. He has done everything right today and a really impressive performance.”
Gai Waterhouse was happy with the win
Adrian Bott said that the stable wanted to see Yao Dash take the next step before considering going forward to the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on September 28th where is currently at $15.00 with TAB.
“I think over a mile will see him over his best trip,” he said.
Yao Dash, a good looking near black gelding, made his debut at Canterbury over 1200m on August 21st and he won that by 3 1/2L defeating the $1m colt Petronius who franked that form when he came out to win on Wednesday on the Kensington course.
Winners are Grinners !
There were a large group of supporters present for the win by their Dynamic Syndications runner:
Strawberry Hill Stud Bm 72 Handicap, Race 1 photo finish
There are now several lucrative options for Yao Dash in Sydney this spring should he continue upon his upward projection. There is obviously the Golden Rose 1400m Gr1 in 3 weeks and the newly created $1 million Bondi Stakes 1600m whilst the Caulfield Guineas Gr1 1600m also beckons in Melbourne.
Then of course we have the $2m Magic Millions 3yo 1400m race in January to consider whilst this time next year there will be a race like the Golden Eagle to target.
Our 3yo is a gelding so we are under no time pressures like the colts are under to establish themselves as sire prospects whilst the fillies are trying to grab black type for their residual values for stud duties.
We can take our time to pick and choose the right pathway forward.
We will consider all options in the best interest of the horse. For example whilst black type racing beckons there is a lovely Benchmark 78 over 1400m at Randwick on the 21st September and with him being a BOBS horse and our connections keen on the double up vouchers, that’s a race worth $58,000 + $38,500 BOBS Double-Up which would represent $96,500 in total to Owners without the handicapper being able inflate his benchmark rating.
After this win, he is still only a Benchmark 72 rated horse. 3yo’s at this time of year receive a 4.0kg advantage over the older horses.
With a Benchmark 78 horse in a Benchmark 78 race to carry 61.0kgs, then Yao Dash as a Benchmark 72 would receive 58.0kgs before a relief of 4.0kgs for being a 3yo so would get just 54.0kgs in such a race, which is tempting for $96,500 to the winner.
The good thing is Owners of YAO DASH are certainly spoilt for choice with their exciting racehorse.
Winning Owners
Congratulations to our Dynamic Ownership Team in YAO DASH:
Dynamic Syndications Racing, Almighty Racing Pty Ltd, Mr C S Carmody, Mr J W Sutherland, Ms L Cotter, Mr J P Kelly, Mr S J McGee, Mr G J McMahon, Mr P Bray, Mr J T Storey, Champagne Sundays, Mr K T Gunn, Mr N W Kim, Mr S M Browne
YAO DASH from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
This win by YAO DASH became Dynamic Syndications 603rd Race Win and our 6th for the new 2019-20 Racing Season.
Yao Dash from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
Follow the Leader !
Onwards and Upwards !