Gai Waterhouse | Home

Our Racing Manager, Emma Reeves, aids us with programming and identifies who she thinks is the best placed horse each weekend. Yarrawonga, Sunday 3rd December, Hawkesbury, Race 5:I was really tempted by Serpentine (coming out of a Melbourne Cup), Taormina (every year I look for a filly for this race) and Head Of The Herd (jockey confidence) but I’m a bit fearful when it comes to the unknown of wet tracks and interstate travel. I’m sticking with Yarrawonga because I was really keen on him last preparation and he ran a string of placings. As I have previously said, a European starting over 2000 metres doesn’t concern me at all, and neither does top weight. He started favourite in town, including on a Saturday, in all but one of his five starts last time in and this will be by far the easiest race he’s contested for some time. Hawkesbury can get very wet so that would be the big question mark, but I can hear Gai telling me that the Irish swim so it’s Yarrawonga for me this week.

SATURDAY 2ND DECEMBER – ROSEHILL GARDENS Rail Position: True STORM BOY (Race 1, 12.20pm, 1100m, T Clark, 58kg)  Storm Boy is delighting us ahead of his first start. He has made two huge impressions when scooting away for impressive wins in both of his trials at Rosehill Gardens and Warwick Farm. He hasn’t missed a beat since then and Tim was delighted with his gallop in the lead up to the race. He’s drawn well in barrier 1 so Tim will be positive to try and take luck out of the equation, and we think it will take a good one to run him down. DAJRAAN (Race 7, 4pm, 1500m, T Clark, 54kg) Dajraan was run off his feet in his last start at Newcastle over 1300 metres and you can put a line through that run. He put in two fantastic trial performances at Warwick Farm and Randwick prior to his last start and has been pleasing us in his track work. Tim will be positive from barrier 13 to get him rolling along and into the lead or close to. We feel he will relish the step up in trip to 1500 metres, and whilst he has a wide barrier to overcome in what looks a competitive race, if getting into a good rhythm we expect him to be thereabouts at the finish.I’M A DIRTY RASCAL (Race 9, 5.20pm, 2400m, T Clark, 53kg) I’m A Dirty Rascal made an extremely promising start to his preparation when finishing off strongly down the straight at Newcastle two weeks ago after a long absence. He steps up in trip here to 2400 metres which we feel he will relish, and whilst he has a wide barrier to overcome, we expect to see him finishing off strongly yet again and making his presence known at the finish.SERPENTINE (Race 9, 5.20pm, 2400m, A Hyeronimus, 57kg) Serpentine has been working well ahead of Saturday's race and we can’t fault him. Prior to his last start in the Melbourne Cup he had put in three super runs, finishing within the prize money on each occasion. He’s now close to four weeks between runs, but is hard fit at this stage of his preparation and has been pleasing us with his work. He has the gate speed to go forward from barrier 7 to make his own luck from the front, and although it has been a while since he has entered the Winner's Circle, we expect him to be difficult to run down. SATURDAY 2ND DECEMBER – CAUFIELD Rail Position: Out 5m Entire Circuit SIR LUCAN (Race 5, 2.20pm, 1800m, L Meech, 56kg)  Sir Lucan has been pleasing us ahead of this assignment. He has made a quantum leap forward in the last two weeks and has been delighting us with his work. He is now going 5 weeks between runs after his terrific effort in the Geelong Cup but he's had a jumpout to keep him up to the mark. However, he has been working extremely well and Linda was over the moon with his gallop earlier in the week. He has the gate speed to go forward from barrier 5 and make his own luck out in front, and despite the drop in trip we expect him to be competitive for a long way.   MILITARY MISSION (Race 8, 4.20pm, 2400m, J McNeil , 59kg) Military Mission ran a terrific race to finish tenth in the Melbourne Cup beaten just over eight lengths, following on from his super win in Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes. Jye will be positive from barrier 10 to get him rolling along and into the lead or close to it. We cannot have him any fitter going into this race and if he can get into a nice rhythm we expect him to be fighting out the finish. This run looks to be the swan song in what has been a wonderful preparation so hopefully he can go out with a bang. SATURDAY 2ND DECEMBER – DOOMBEN Rail Position: +1m Entire TAORMINA (Race 7, 3.48pm , 1200m, J Orman, 56.5kg) Taormina arrived at Chris Munce's stable near Eagle Farm on Thursday and was reported to have travelled well and settled in nicely. She is first-up this preparation after two extremely promising trials at Randwick. She was super last preparation with two wins in great style at Warwick Farm and Rosehill Gardens respectively. She wasn’t disgraced in the Group 2 Silver Shadow at Randwick in her final start and the form of that race is working out well, with 4 horses to have already come out and won since. We feel she has the gate speed to overcome her difficult draw in barrier 15 and race prominently. She is first-up this preparation so you can expect improvement to come off the back of this run, but having said that she is forward enough to do herself justice and if she is able to get into a nice rhythm, we expect her to be difficult to run down. SATURDAY 2ND DECEMBER – NEWCASTLE Rail Position: +5m Entire STRATIFIED (Race 6, 4.55pm, 1200m, A McLucas, 57.5kg)  Stratified has had two extremely encouraging trials at Randwick so far this preparation. These trials have given him a good fitness foundation and he has been pleasing us with his track work. Newcastle is a lovely expansive course which should suit him, and Amy will be positive from barrier 11 to get him rolling along into the lead or close to it. He’s conceding race experience to a significant number of his rivals so you can expect improvement to come off the back of this, but he’s forward enough to do himself just justice and we expect him to be in it for a long way.