Gai Waterhouse | Gai Waterhouse Gais Tip Sheet

WEDNESDAY 14th OCTOBER - CAULFIELD

Rail Position: +13M Entire

YAUSON - Race 6, 4.35pm, 2000m, J Childs, 56kg
Adrian and I couldn’t be more delighted with Yauson’s progress since his last win and he goes into this race in extremely good condition. We have some rain currently falling in Melbourne so the track will have a nice cushion to it, and he’s going to relish stretching out to 2000 metres. He’s up significantly in grade but he’s progressive and the additional distance will unlock further improvement, so if he can run a good, strong race and finish in the top three it opens up some exciting options for him over the Flemington carnival.

WEDNESDAY 14th OCTOBER - ROSEHILL

Rail Position: +4M Entire

ITALIAN SPIRIT - Race 2, 2.05pm, 1400m, R Bayliss, 59kg
Italian Spirit is in very good order ahead of this run. He was unlucky to bump into a talented and race fit rival in the shape of Lafite when resuming at Kembla, but he was a staggering five lengths clear of the third horse so the two of them well and truly cleared out from the rest of the field. Lafite has since gone on to finish third in the $500k Listed Tapp-Craig at Rosehill on Saturday, so the form’s been well and truly boosted which adds confidence. He’s taken plenty of improvement from that outing which was his first in nine months, so naturally he strips fitter here. Rosehill’s a lovely track for him and he sticks to 1400 metres for now before we explore stretching him out in trip, but he’s not devoid of speed and we expect it to suit him well. Regan will be positive from barrier 7 to try and get him rolling along in front so that he can make his own luck accordingly, and whilst conceding weight to progressive types isn’t ideal or easy we expect him to take a step forward here and he should be right there at the finish.

MOSCATEL - Race 4, 3.15pm, 1100m, R King, 56kg
Moscatel is delighting us ahead of her first-up run. Her two trials have been excellent, as she wasn’t beaten far by two Group 1 winners in her first one before finishing a close third in her latest hit out. These have given her the right fitness foundation to kick off her preparation, and 1100 metres is the ideal starting point for her. This race is confined to her own sex which is always our preference where possible, and whilst taking on older and more seasoned mares is never easy we are confident she’s up to it. Rachel knows her very well and she’ll be positive from barrier 8 to try and land in a prominent spot from where she can make her own luck in running. She was a very impressive winner on debut in April before then not being beaten too far in a Listed race at Scone, and she’s had plenty of time to continue strengthening and maturing since then so she’s now ready to kick some targets and we expect her to make her presence known here.

CRITERIA - Race 5, 3.50pm, 2400m, R Bayliss, 58kg
Well, what can we say about Criteria? He certainly surprised us somewhat with the manner of his win at Kembla last time, but we were nonetheless thrilled to see him deliver the performance we’ve always known he’s capable of. He’s been full of confidence ever since then as he’s been strutting around the place like he’s the man of the house, so it’s done him the world of good. That was his first run at 2000 metres but he relished every yard of it, so whilst 2400 metres is another step into the unknown we’ve no reason to think he won’t improve again. He’s stepping up in grade to race in town so it’s going to be tougher, but these staying races can be winnable so he isn’t out of place and hopefully he can keep progressing and find his way into the Winner’s Circle once more.

METALLIC CAT - Race 7, 5.00pm, 1200m, A Hyeronimus, 57kg
Metallic Cat was so unlucky not to secure the victory when resuming at this track a fortnight ago. However, as frustrating as it was it was encouraging to see her come back in such brilliant style, and she was beaten by an extremely fit mare who was deep into her preparation so she lost no admirers in defeat. She’s as tough as teak so she’s bounced through that run in terrific order, and her recent gallops have been excellent so our confidence is high ahead of this run. She went up 1kg in the ratings for her troubles but this is a Benchmark 78, so she drops down to having 57kg on her back which is no bad thing and she sticks to 1200 metres for now before we explore possibly stretching her out in trip. Adam got a great tune out of her last time so he’ll try to repeat those same tactics from her lovely barrier in 4, and with natural improvement forthcoming she should be very hard to beat.

DUKE OF ARRAKIS - Race 8, 5.35pm, 1400m, R Bayliss, 57.5kg
Duke Of Arrakis didn’t have much luck when resuming at this track a fortnight ago. He had a tough run from a wide barrier but he still maintained a solid enough effort before understandably peaking on his run late. It was his first run for a long time, so he’s taken plenty of improvement from it and he certainly strips fitter here. He’s going to relish getting out to 1400 metres here and he should be able to travel much more comfortably as a result. He’s drawn a better barrier this time in 2 so Regan should be able to land on or close to the speed without doing too much work, and we expect him to take a big step forward here and make his presence known over the concluding stages.

PULSATOR - Race 8, 5.35pm, 1400m, R King, 55.5kg
Pulsator is going from strength to strength. He followed up his stylish maiden win with an even more impressive victory last time, and he’s continued to thrive ever since. It’s extremely difficult to win that first race outside of maiden company, even at the provincials, so whilst this is another challenge altogether he’s more than earned his place in town. He sticks to 1400 metres for now which probably suits him ideally at this stage, and Rachel will be positive from barrier 6 to try and make his own luck on or close to the speed as he’s done the last twice. Taking on older horses in town is challenging but he’s a progressive gelding with a winning attitude and that’s going to take him a long way, so we see no reason why he won’t be right there at the finish once again.