Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott imper Royal Patronage has now won on three continents after an impressive Australian debut win in the Tramway Stakes at Randwick

The Group 1 Epsom Handicap is now on the radar for Royal Patronage after his outstanding Tramway Stakes victory at Randwick.

French-bred Royal Patronage kicked off his Australian career with a first-up win in the Tramway Stakes at Randwick. Picture: Getty Images

Royal Patronage, the striking French-bred import who has won in England and America, made a stunning Australian debut at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The result of the Group 2 $300,000 Tramway Stakes (1400m) is likely to prove a very good form reference for the spring carnival after Royal Patronage won clearly from the fast-finishing Amelia’s Jewel and Kovalica in near track record time.

For trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the Tramway win of Royal Patronage sets the four-year-old up for an exciting preparation.

“We were really confident with what we’d seen from him at home,” Bott said.

“He worked up quite sharply during the week, which was encouraging going into today.

“In fairness, Europeans having their first start in Australia and traditionally showing form over further and also the conditions today, we were just a bit mindful he may find the 1400m a bit too sharp for him.

“But the way the race panned out was excellent. There was good pressure on from the outset. He really put himself in the race from the gates.”

Royal Patronage started at $16 but showed his class when he scored by one-and-a-quarter lengths from Amelia’s Jewel ($3.30 favourite) with Kovalica ($12) a close third in a very fast 1m 20.41s.

Top jockey Tim Clark said Royal Patronage will only “continue to improve” the deeper he goes into his spring campaign.

“He’s been going well at home, working fantastic, and his trials were good,” Clark said.

“When he was able to bounce and adjust to that 1400m speed so comfortably, I thought he would be hard to beat.

That's one way to make your Australian debut 👏

The American Royal Patronage wins the G2 Tramway at Randwick first up, and it's a double to the @clarkyhk - @GaiWaterhouse1 combo! pic.twitter.com/cXujWJ0rlj

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 7, 2024

“If anything, he raced a bit keen early, because that was the unknown, how he was going to react to a fast run 1400m, but he travelled sweetly and was really tough to the line.”

Bott said Royal Patronage could be aimed at the Group 1 $1.5m Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Royal Randwick on October 5.

Amelia’s Jewel and Kovalica both produced blinders on a track where it was hard to run on.

“I couldn’t have been any more proud of Amelia’s Jewel,” jockey Tommy Berry said.

“For her to be first-up today and to run at that sort of speed it really dragged it out of her a little bit.

“As soon as Kovalica came up she was in for the fight. She was strong through the line. She’s in for a great spring.”

James McDonald said Kovalica has run “incredibly well” to make up so much ground in the straight.

“It was so hard to get into the race so being first up he couldn’t have gone any better,” McDonald said.

Originally published as Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott imper Royal Patronage has now won on three continents after an impressive Australian debut win in the Tramway Stakes at Randwick