Giulietta made an impressive start to her racing career in the Multi Plate at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, but trainer Gai Waterhouse has confirmed that the promising filly will not contest the 2015 Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast this weekend.
Gai Waterhouse is chasing her first win in the Magic Millions Classic since Driefontein took out the 2012 edition of the race. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Giulietta stamped herself as a filly to watch when she won a barrier trial over 740 metres at Royal Randwick on December 15 in good style and she proved that effort was no fluke when she led from start to finish on Saturday to record a comfortable two and a half lengths win from I’m Not Sure and My Colleague.
Waterhouse stable foremen Mark Newnham said after the race that the stable was expecting a professional performance from Giulietta, but said that he was thrilled to see the Snitzel filly put it all together on race day.
“I said to Christian [Reith] before the race ‘mate, every time she’s been in the barriers she’s been first out’, but you always worry on race day they might get it wrong,” Newnham told the media after the race.
“She’s always had natural speed and natural talent.
“She came in [the ring] really professional and in two-year-old racing it makes a big difference.
“She controlled the race today and ran hard, straight and was just too good.”
Giulietta is eligible for the $2 million Magic Millions Classic that will be held at the Gold Coast on Saturday and on the strength of her debut performance would be a legitimate winning chance in the race, but Waterhouse told TVN that the two-year-old would not return to the races until the Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on January 31.
Waterhouse originally said that the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21 would be the major autumn target for Giulietta, but she revealed that the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 28 could also be on the agenda for the juvenile.
“I’ll just see how she pulls up after the Widden, but the Diamond date, February 28, sounds perfect,” Waterhouse said.
Waterhouse is still set to be represented in the 2015 Magic Millions Classic by Henderson Racing-owned Carriages, who took out the Magic Millions Clockwise Classic at Ballarat on November 22 in impressive fashion before suffering an fitness setback that has kept him away from the races since.
