Champion trainer Gai Waterhouse wrapped up a winning treble at Randwick today with Cosmic Endeavour leading all of the way to win the Group 1 $500,000 Canterbury Stakes (1300m).
Cosmic Endeavour leads all of the way to win the Canterbury Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
The well supported Cosmic Endeavour ($3.30) was first to leave the barriers and was first home in setting a new track record, running 1.15.17 for the 1300m.
Earlier in the day Waterhouse won both versions of the two year old races with English beating thee fillies in the Group 2 $300,000 Guinness Reisling Stakes (1200m) and new Golden Slipper favourite Vancouver beating the colts and geldings in the Group 2 $300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m).
Waterhouse was keen to back up Cosmic Endeavour this week in the weight for age Canterbury Stakes after being beaten as favourite last week in the Group 3 $150,000 Guy Walter Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm and the punters followed her lead.
“You have a mare like this who has just hit her hobbles. This week every single day she just kept improving,” Waterhouse said.
“She has beaten the boys before, I knew she was cherry ripe and this was the time to run her.”
Cosmic Endeavour was well supported all the way through betting and winning rider James McDonald rode her like a good thing, setting a solid pace from the start.
McDonald had all the other runners off the bit coming into the straight and when he let the Northern Meteor mare go at the top of the rise, the punters started to get in the queue as Cosmic Endeavour went on to win her second Group 1 race.
The Chris Waller trained Catkins ($4.40) will have to wait for another day to win her maiden Group 1 but lost no admirers with her late charge to the line to finish half a length second while Criterion ($12) showed that he will be a force to deal with over ‘The Championships’ with an eye catching third up along the rails.
Waterhouse will now head towards the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 4 with Cosmic Endeavour.
