Gai Waterhouse | Gai Waterhouse News 63340 Playing By The Rules

Emma Reeves aids us with programming and identifies who she thinks is the best placed horse each weekend. 

Centenario, Wednesday 10th June, Kensington:
In the interest of providing the best insight into why we do what we do, without repeating a recent story, I’ve gone wide this week and chosen Centenario at Kensington on Wednesday.

He was brilliant last preparation and in a rich vein of form, but we were forced to freshen him as the only other option in Sydney was to send him to a major Sydney Cup lead up off his midweek city form. Instead, he had a week on the water walker and two trials into an off season Benchmark 78 over 1800 metres. In all honesty, I thought he would run a little better first up, but in hindsight he didn’t have the same zip that he had following a full spell last preparation and he was also stepping into a stronger grade.

Second up, he showed what I was expecting first up and I think the additional distance combined with the wet track were the right combination. On Wednesday, he steps up to an ideal distance, is third up, drops back to the midweeks and remains in Benchmark 78 company, which sees him get some weight relief.

I think everything has been building towards this point and Wednesday looks a terrific opportunity for him. Hopefully the plan comes off and it is the first of many wins over the winter months.