English expected to return to winning form over the Autumn Carnival

Tulloch Lodge co-trainer Adrian Bott expects Group 1 winner English to return to winning form during the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival.

English, above, finds her best form during the Autumn months. Photo by Steve Hart.

English, above, finds her best form during the Autumn months. Photo by Steve Hart.

Bott, who trains in partnership with Gai Waterhouse, is thrilled with the way English has returned to the stable carrying a bit of extra condition.

“It’s early days for her. She is doing a bit of light pace work but we’re delighted with the way she has returned. She’s strengthened up and put on good condition,” Bott told Racing New South Wales News.

“She didn’t quite come up in the spring and unfortunately we didn’t quite get the results but the autumn last campaign was her carnival and hopefully that can be the same again this year.”

English has produced her best form during the last two Autumn Carnivals and claimed a Group 1 prize when she beat Black Heart Bart and Kermadec in the 2016 Group 1 $600,000 Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick at the end of the Autumn Carnival.

But the Encosta De Lago mare failed to fire during the Spring, missing a place in all of her four starts.

English was beaten just under two lengths when a first up fifth to Takedown in the Group 2 $200,000 The Bowermans Office Furniture The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick on September 17 and then missed the minor placings when fourth to Takedown again in the Group 2 $300,000 Premiere Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on October 1.

Waterhouse and Bott then turned their attention to Melbourne with English who finished seventh to Rebel Dane in the Group 1 $1m Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on October 21 followed by an eleventh to Malaguerra in the Group 1 $1m Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on the last day of the four day Melbourne Cup Carnival.

English showed her talents in her two year old season during the 2015 Autumn Carnival with a win in the Group 2 $300,000 Guinness Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Randwick before being runner up to her stablemate Vancouver in the Group 1 $3.5m Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.

In early betting for the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 1, English is marked as a $14 chance with Ladbrokes.com.au who have the Team Hawkes trained Chautauqua as the $5 favourite.

Next in the market order are the Golden Rose winner Astern and the Darley Classic runner-up Spieth at $7 just ahead of Melbourne colt Flying Artie at $9 and his stablemate Extreme Choice at $10.

Early market order for the T J Smith Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $5 Chautauqua, $7 Astern, Spieth, $9 Flying Artie, $10 Extreme Choice, $12 Star Turn, $13 Black Heart Bart, $14 English, $15 Malaguerra, $16 Russian Revolution, $17 Terravista, Music Magnate $21 Counterattack, Japonisme, Lucky Hussler, Southern Legend, Takedown, $26 or better the rest.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.