Waterhouse’s eyes on Maribyrnong Trial

The Hall of Fame trainer, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott and has stables at Randwick and Flemington, owns the record for the most wins in the Golden Slipper with eight.

Waterhouse and Bott dominated last week’s feature trial session at Randwick and they have three runners in each of the two juvenile features run in Sydney this weekend, the Breeders’ Plate and Gimcrack Stakes.

But they will also be represented in the race that traditionally launches Victoria’s two-year-old season, Saturday’s $175,000 Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (1000m) at Flemington.

Like a handful of Waterhouse and Bott’s runners in Sydney, Knightsbridge was a Randwick trial winner last week but has taken up residence at Waterhouse’s Flemington stable.

It was a tactic Waterhouse and Bott successfully employed with Tremonti last year and they are keen to place their big team of babies in a manner that best suits their owners.

“The owners have a lot of say (in where to run) and we try to accommodate them,” Waterhouse said.

“But only one horse can win these races, so it’s silly to have too many in them.”

Knightsbridge is a son of Waterhouse’s 2020 Golden Slipper winner Farnan out of the Nicconi mare Festivity, who Waterhouse also trained.

A $750,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast purchase for James Harron, Knightsbridge is the most expensive yearling engaged in this year’s Maribyrnong Trial Stakes.

He is part of a Tulloch Lodge two-year-old team Waterhouse described as ‘well above-average’ and she is as keen as always at this weekend to see her team get their careers underway.

“I love the two-year-olds, I really get a buzz out of them,” Waterhouse said.

Race 2 (12:55pm) Darley Maribyrnong Trial Stakes 

1000m (Listed) $175,000

1 – Eurocanto (Ben, Will & JD Hayes)

2YO brown colt (Per Incanto (USA) - Shespending (NZ) (Savabeel))

The son of Per Incanto cost $250,000 at this year’s Magic Millions January sale and is out of the Savabeel mare Shespending, who is from the family of Group 3 winner and Coolmore Stud Stakes runner-up Splashing Out. Finished second in both jumpouts but certainly would have won the first if asked and was again held together to the line behind One Day At A Time at the set held up the Flemington straight last Thursday.

2 – Guest House (Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr)

2YO bay colt (Home Affairs - Flamboyant Lass (Stratum))

The $270,000 Magic Millions youngster will become the first product of boom freshman sire Home Affairs to race in Victoria and has had a busy week, finishing third in last week’s Flemington jumpout won by Knurl before being given another one over 800m at Cranbourne on Monday, when second but never asked by Jamie Melham, who rides this weekend.

3 – Harry Met Sally (Mark Walker)

2YO bay or brown colt (Yes Yes Yes - Agueda (General Nediym))

Son of Yes Yes Yes and the General Nediym mare Agueda was not offered for sale at auction. Was given two Cranbourne jumpouts before a trip to Flemington last week, where he finished off strongly when asked to finish second in the trial won by the McEvoy-trained Cyclotron, who is being reserved for a later debut, in 47.82secs.

4 – Knightsbridge (Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

2YO bay colt (Farnan - Festivity (Nicconi))

See above.

5 – Knurl (Tony & Calvin McEvoy)

2YO brown colt (Brazen Beau - Mollycoddle (Lonhro))

Godolphin homebred by Brazen Beau who is the first foal from the Lonhro mare Mollycoddle. Was a soft winner of his initial jumpout and then held off Rubare to score a narrow-but-impressive win in the latest in a time of 47.19 secs.

6 – Rich On Bubbles (Ben, Will & JD Hayes)

2YO bay colt (Capitalist - Champagne Boom (Spirit of Boom))

The son of Golden Slipper winner Capitalist cost $200,000 on the Gold Coast in January and is a half-brother to his stablemate Stoli Bolli, who runs in the first race on the Turnbull Stakes card. There was a lot to like about the way he rounded them up in his first jumpout, over 600m at Pakenham, but failed to repeat that last week in the trial won by Knurl.

7 – Flash Of Class (Mark Walker)

2YO chestnut filly (Capitalist - Flashing Speed (War Pass (USA)))

Another who has had three jumpouts, winning the first of them before not being knocked around in the last two, including a fifth placing behind Knurl. Another by Capitalist, being out of the War Pass mare Flashing Speed, whose only other to race is a two-start maiden. A $55,000 Magic Millions weanling from the National Sale, she was later sold at this year’s Classic Sale, where Te Akau Racing forked out $70,000 for her.

8 – Given The Extreme (Simon Zahra)

2YO bay filly (Extreme Warrior - On a Given Day (Fastnet Rock))

A $100,000 buy out of Book 2 at Magic Millions’ January Sale, the daughter of Extreme Warrior is a three-quarter-sister to Extreme Diva, who ran third in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes. Finished third behind Sabrina at her first jumpout then ridden out to finish second behind Lift Net on last Thursday’s jumpout held on the inside grass.

9 – One Day At A Time (Tony & Calvin McEvoy)

2YO bay filly (Bivouac - Everyday Lady (Charge Forward))

Daughter of former straight-track star Bivouac, who had his first Group 1 winner as a sire last week when Beiwacht won the Golden Rose, and is from the Listed-winning Charge Forward mare Everyday Lady. The $270,000 Magic Millions buy was runner-up to Sabrina, when not asked, at her first jumpout then glided away from her rivals stylishly late last week to win in 47.15.

10 – Rubare (Nick Ryan)

2YO bay filly (Rubick - Miss Belisa (Lope de Vega (IRE)))

The cheapest horse in the race at $35,000, the Inglis Premier-sourced son of Rubick has finished behind Knurl at both jumpouts and got closer at the latest, but was urged along a little more than the McEvoy colt.

11 – Sabrina (Tony & Calvin McEvoy)

2YO bay filly (Blue Point (IRE) - Witchfulthinking (War Chant (USA)))

The fastest of last week’s jumpout winners with her winning time of 46.57secs the only sub-47secs time recorded. It was hard to not be impressed by the way she powered top the line under a light ride. A $90,000 buy out of the Perth Magic Millions Sale, Sabrina is by Blue Point out of the War Chant mare Witchfulthinking, who is from the family of former star WA filly Delicacy.

12 – Streisand (Clinton McDonald)

2YO bay filly (Magnus - Zouper Star (Zoustar))

The daughter of Magnus was far too speedy in a 650m Cranbourne jumpout on September 8 then finished second to second to Sabrina last week. A $22,000 Great Southern weanling who later sold for $100,000 at Premier, Streisand ‘s only other sibling to race is a Rich Enuff gelding yet to win in three starts.