Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse will have a busy morning on Friday with a number of her stable stars set to compete at the Royal Randwick barrier trials.
Glencadam Gold is one of Gai Waterhouse's stable stars that will compete in a barrier trial on Friday. Photo by: Steve Hart
Waterhouse has forty-one horses nominated across the seventeen trials including four of her leading 2013 Spring Racing Carnival hopefuls.
The opening trial of the day, over 1400 metres, has a heavy Waterhouse flavour, with six of the ten runners prepared by the leading trainer, and will feature Melbourne Cup aspirants Michelangelo and Glencadam Gold.
Michelangelo joined the Waterhouse stable at the end of last year and is yet to make his Australian racing debut, first appearing in a barrier trial at Randwick in April where he finished fifth behind Miss Mittagong.
Waterhouse has set Michelangelo for the 2013 Melbourne Cup (3200m) and told News Limited yesterday that the son of Galileo is just as exciting a prospect as 2012 Melbourne Cup runner-up Fiorente.
Glencadam Gold is also on a Melbourne Cup campaign after finishing sixth behind Green Moon in the 2012 edition of the race.
The progressive stayer moved through the grades rapidly during the 2012 Spring Racing Carnival and Waterhouse is confident he has returned even better for this campaign.
The other stable star set to compete in Friday’s opening trial is Queen Elizabeth-owned Carlton House.
The Street Cry five-year-old will likely be targeted at the Cox Plate (2040m) and based on his European form will be one of the leading contenders having gone close to upsetting duel Cox Plate winner So You Think in the 2012 Prince of Wales’s Stakes (2011m).
Another imported stayer Fiorente will compete over 1200 metres in the second trial of the day as he returns from a spell following his brief autumn campaign.
A noted stayer, the Monsun gelding was entered in the All Aged Stakes (1400m) and impressed with his third place finish behind All Too Hard in the Group 1 sprint.
Fiorente is set to contest the Melbourne Cup and will aim to become the first horse since Empire Rose in 1988 to win the race after finishing second the year before.
Waterhouse was glowing in her praise for the four horses and is clearly excited to see them all compete on Friday.
”I’m really looking forward to Friday to see how they trial,” Waterhouse said.
”All four horses have had good spells and I can’t tell you how happy I am with their condition and appearance.”
