Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are gearing up to present six horses at Rosehill, with five participating in stakes races. A key focus is their quartet of three-year-olds, all eager to make their mark on the spring racing calendar.
The Golden Rose ambitions for Plagiarism and Revengeance will be put to the test in the Run To The Rose (1200m). Simultaneously, I’m Ya Huckleberry has the chance to strengthen his case for that race with a strong outing in the Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap (1400m).
Their stablemate Savagram is also slated for the Ming Dynasty. As a half-brother to Derby victor Major Beel, he is on a potential path towards the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m).
I’m Ya Huckleberry enters the three-year-old feature races after being sidelined by a fetlock injury that followed his debut second place in the Breeders’ Plate (1000m) last spring. He achieved his maiden win at Wyong last month, and Bott is keen for him to compete on the larger Rosehill track.
“He’s a big striding horse, so the bigger track will be more suitable for him, and getting out to 1400 metres,” Bott said. “The thought process is he’s got that natural speed and being able to sustain that over 1400 metres, 1600 metres as opposed to 1200 is going to be what hopefully separates him when he can get to a good level.”
The step up in distance is also expected to benefit Savagram, who finished fourth in his last start behind Plagiarism in the Up And Coming Stakes (1300m), a performance Bott attributed to the colt’s lack of experience.
Plagiarism will be aiming for a repeat of that performance in the Run To The Rose (1200m), where he is expected to hold a fitness advantage over several of the leading contenders. “He’s gone to the Run To The Rose for that reason. He’s pretty conditioned for a tougher race like that, particularly with where he’s at in this ‘prep’ having had two runs over 1300 metres and dropping back to 1200,” Bott explained. “Traditionally, it’s the main lead-up to the Golden Rose and he certainly put himself in contention at his last start. We wanted to give him that chance.”
Bott also advised punters to be forgiving of Revengeance, who tired late upon returning from a lengthy layoff in the San Domenico Stakes (1200m). While he expects the colt to improve further after Saturday, he has not dismissed the possibility of him reaching the Group 1 feature in two weeks. “I still don’t think it’s necessarily the right race (on Saturday) yet, but it’s the right stepping stone to get back,” Bott stated. “If we need to readjust after this we can, but at this stage he’s on a path to the Golden Rose.”
Stardom rounds out Tulloch Lodge’s black-type prospects in Sydney when she contests the Sheraco Stakes (1200m), looking to prove that her narrow second place in the Toy Show Quality (1100m) was not a fluke. Although she started at double-figure odds that day, Bott indicated her performance was not a surprise to the stable and she has continued to thrive. “She used to be in a bit of a rush, but she is harnessing things much better,” he said. “She’s got to improve again off that personal best, but I’m really happy with her. She’s going great.”
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