The transformation of Watson into a gelding at the close of last year has proven beneficial, with jockey Tim Clark confident the Tulloch Lodge galloper can maintain his winning trajectory at Randwick.
Having only managed a single placing from three starts as a colt, the now four-year-old was gelded before his January return and swiftly secured two wins at Kembla Grange and Canterbury.
When introduced directly to Group level competition, the charge trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott was not out of contention, finishing fourth behind Tempted in the Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m).
He is slated for Saturday’s Chandon Handicap (1200m) at Randwick, coming off a midweek victory against Clear Proof. Clear Proof has since bolstered the form with a win at Canterbury on Wednesday, and Clark anticipates Watson will perform admirably despite a difficult draw in gate 12.
“His record as a gelding is really good,” Clark commented.
“It was a good win first-up with improvement to come. He’s taking that improvement into the weekend and he’s worked very well during the week.
“He’ll make his presence felt.
“I also feel the drier the track gets, the better for him.”
While Saturday’s race is a benchmark event, Clark is of the opinion that Watson has the potential to climb the ratings and compete at a higher level.
He finished four lengths behind Tempted in the Eskimo Prince Stakes, and less than three lengths behind the second-placegetter Napoleonic. Napoleonic has since earned a placing in the Doomben 10,000 and is expected to be among the leading contenders for the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) this Saturday.
“He ran really well in that race, and a hot race it was,” Clark stated. “With where his rating is at, he can go through the ratings system, get good prizemoney, and if and when the time is right, Gai and Adrian can step him back into a harder race.”
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