Leading Randwick trainer Gai Waterhouse was quick to nominated the Group 1 $2.5m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 18 as the target for Laidback Larryafter the four year scored an all the way win at Randwick last Saturday.
Laidback Larry and Adam Hyeronimus score a clear cut win at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Jockey Adam Hyeronimus rated Laidback Larry perfectly in front to score a convincing four and a half lengths win in the TAB Rewards BenchMark 85 Handicap over 2000m making it four wins on the trot for the up and coming stayer.
While Laidback Larry is still working his way through the restricted ranks, Waterhouse says that she has a very high opinion of the O’Reilly gelding and will now head to Mornington for the Listed $350,000 Mornington Cup (2400m) on February 12.
The winner of the Mornington Cup is an automatic inclusion in the Caulfield Cup and Waterhouse sees this as a perfect opportunity to secure a berth in the major Melbourne Spring Carnival feature race.
“We’ve got a huge opinion of this horse, along with Ecuador, and they’re the two most exciting young stayers in my stable,” Waterhouse said.
“They’re lightly-raced and they keep making the quantum leaps. He’s a free-rolling horse who will make the weight-for-age improvement, I’m sure.
“He toyed with them today, just toyed with them,” the Melbourne Cup winning trainer said after Saturday’s win.
Hyeronimus also has a big opinion of the fledging stayer and said that Laidback Larry would have no worries handling the extra distance of the Mornington Cup.
“He’ll run the 2400m, no worries,” Hyeronimus said.
“He’s really taken the next step this preparation. It was a dominant win last start, and he ran good time, but today he did it again,” he said after the win on Saturday.
Thomas Huet rode Laidback Larry when he began his winning streak with a win over 1850m in a Class 2 at Newcastle in June before Waterhouse sent him to the paddock for a spell.
The four year old then resumed with a win over 1550m in a Canterbury no metropolitan win race with Tim Clark aboard before Hyeronimus took over the reins for the first of his two wins in a one metropolitan win race over 1600m at Randwick on January 1.
