Waterhouse trio for Australia Day Cup

Sunday 20 January 2013, 5:19pm

Gai Waterhouse has joined the growing band of trainers sourcing stayers from Europe but will revert to a stable tradition in the Australia Day Cup with a trio of ex new Zealanders.

Group One placegetters Tullamore and Reuben Percival will be joined by up-and-comer Travolta in Saturday's 2400m feature at Warwick Farm.

Waterhouse's success with former Kiwis includes five winners of the Metropolitan (2400m) - Herculian Prince (2010), In Joyment (1998), Hula Flight (1996), Electronic (1995) and Te Akau Nick who gave the trainer her first Group One trophy in 1992.

The trainer's husband Rob is a keen student of New Zealand racing and has selected many of her stayers from videos of their performances.

Reuben Percival, third in the 2012 Metropolitan, and Travolta filled the placings behind the Chris Waller-trained Moriarty in the recent Gosford Cup while 2011 Caulfield Cup third Tullamore was unplaced first-up at Warwick Farm.

"I'll have the three runners," Waterhouse said.

Premier trainer Waller also has three potential runners but will monitor Marden and Secessio who finished third and fourth behind Kukri at Rosehill on Saturday before a decision on whether they will back up.

He also has Lucripetous in the mix after his second to the Peter Snowden-trained Kukri on January 12.

"I'll just have a look at all of them over the next couple of days before I decide whether they run," Waller said.

Ironstein is a definite starter with trainer Gerald Ryan saying he is on track for a trip to Tasmania for next month's Hobart and Launceston Cups.

At his first run since his Melbourne spring campaign, Ironstein finished 6-1/2 lengths from Moriarty in the Gosford Cup and beat just one runner home.

"He didn't appreciate the tight track at Gosford," Ryan said.

"He seems bright and well so he will go to the Australia Day Cup."

Brenton Avdulla, who partnered Ironstein to Group placings in the JRA Cup, Moonee Valley Cup and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over the spring, retains the ride.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »