Gai Waterhouse | Gai Waterhouse Gais Tip Sheet

Saturday 8th AUGUST - KEMBLA GRANGE

Rail Position: +5m 1100m-W/Post, +3m Remainder

ARGANSORT - Z Wadick 59.0kg

Argansort has come through his debut run in good order. Rachel was pleased with the way he finished off the race, particularly as things did not go entirely to plan. Despite that, he showed plenty of encouraging signs and gained valuable race-day experience from the outing. He steps up slightly in trip, which we believe will suit him, particularly after the way he worked through the line on debut. We have seen a good amount of improvement from him since that run, both in his work and in the way he has handled himself around the stable. He should be sharper and more professional with that first start now behind him. With a little more luck in running, we are hopeful that he can settle into a comfortable rhythm and show the improvement we have seen at home. He is progressing in the right direction, and we feel this is a lovely opportunity to get a maiden win under his belt.

Saturday 8th AUGUST - RANDWICK

Rail Position: +4m Entire

CHAMPAGNE HERO - T Clark 56.5kg

Champagne Hero was very impressive when winning at Kensington, where he beat his opposition with no fuss and he has taken a good amount of confidence from that performance. It is only a slight step up in trip, which he will handle without any problem. It is a step up in grade, but he carries 56.5kg compared with the top weight of 61kg, which is certainly in his favour. He has drawn a slightly tricky barrier in barrier 13, but he is good out of the gates and should be able to find a nice position and having the experienced Tim Clark on board will also be a big help. We have seen him improve with each run this preparation, which is why we believe he is ready to step up to Saturday class. It is a competitive race, but he is ready for the challenge and will be fighting out the finish.

WATSON - T Clark 60.0kg

Watson was brilliant first-up at Canterbury, and Adrian and I are expecting there to be plenty more improvement to come. He is stepping up in grade, but he has been very full of himself since that win and has come through the race in excellent order. He looks very well and has tightened up nicely, so we expect him to progress further from that first-up performance. While he jumps from a wide barrier and carries a big weight, we feel that he has the class and gate speed to overcome them both. He sticks to the 1200 metres and while we do feel that he will stretch out over further, he's still got plenty of sprint in his legs and the expansive track here at Randwick will suit. The race looks very winnable for him, and with Tim back on board, we are expecting him to be very hard to beat.

Sunday 9th AUGUST - MUSWELLBROOK

Rail Position: True

OCEAN PREDATOR - W Costin 59.0kg

Adrian and I cannot wait to see Ocean Predator make his long-awaited debut. He has continued to improve throughout this preparation and has taken a nice step forward off the back of each of his trials. We were particularly pleased with his latest effort, where he jumped well, put himself into the trial and continued to roll forward strongly through the line. He has always shown us that he has plenty of stamina thus 1500m looks an ideal starting point for him and should give him every opportunity to settle into a rhythm and use his staying ability. While he is still learning and will naturally take plenty of improvement from the experience, he has done everything we have asked of him leading into this race. He rates as favourite, and we are very much looking forward to seeing him at the races for the first time. We are confident the wait will be worth it.

SICILLIAN HEAT- W Costin 56.5kg

Adrian and I are looking forward to seeing Sicilian Heat make his debut. 1000m in the country looks a nice starting point for him and should allow him to learn what race day is all about without being asked to do too much too soon. He is still developing his craft, and we hope that the experience will bring him on considerably. As we have previously mentioned, we do feel that he would be better off as a gelding and he's therefore not the finished article just yet. Having race experience under his belt under the tutelage of Winona Costin, who rides our horses so well, will stand him in good stead moving forward though and hopefully he can do himself justice on debut.