Leading trainer Gai Waterhouse has revealed that the 2015 Golden Slipper quinella of Vancouver and English are now back in work following their aborted spring preparations.
Vancouver will return to the Gai Waterhouse stable on Monday. Photo by: Steve Hart
Vancouver was the star two-year-old of the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and he recorded an impressive win in the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m), but he returned to the races with a shock loss to Japonisme in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on August 15 and was sent to the spelling paddock following a flat barrier trial at the same venue on September 1.
Waterhouse told Racing And Sports that Vancouver would return to her stable on Monday and she said that she was very excited to get the son of Medaglia D’Oro back in her care.
“He will come back in next Monday,” Waterhouse said.
“He is out at Wild Oak’s doing very well and he is in pre-training and comes back to me next Monday.”
English stamped herself as a filly to watch when she took out the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on March 7 and she finished a game second behind Vancouver in the Golden Slipper, but she was also sent back to the spelling paddock following two flat barrier trials at Royal Randwick on July 31 and August 21.
Waterhouse said that English was still an immature filly as an early three-year-old, but she said that the daughter of Encosta De Lago had returned to her stable in outstanding condition and would likely be set for an early autumn race like the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on January 23 or the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on January 30 could both be early autumn options for the talented filly.
“She was growing,” Waterhouse said.
“She was immature – very much like Vancouver.
“Neither of them were fully mature and luckily the owners could see what I was saying and we turned them out.
“English has come back like a women possessed and she is absolutely thumping her chest.
“I couldn’t be happier with her.
“We will wait until one of those weight-for-age races later in January, there is not a lot of time because you need to get them fit and trial them.”
English has recorded two wins from four race starts, while Vancouver suffered his only loss in the San Domenico Stakes.
