Adrian Bott eyes another Group 1 success to cap off first season in partnership with Gai Waterhouse

WITH two Group 1s under the belt, a possible third in ­Saturday’s Tatts Tiara with Prompt Response and 137 winners, Adrian Bott has much to be satisfied with in his first season of training.

WITH two Group Ones under the belt, a possible third in Saturday’s Tattersalls Tiara with Prompt Response and 137 winners, Adrian Bott has much to be satisfied with in his first season of training.

But he has predicted the partnership he forged with legendary trainer Gai Waterhouse on August 1 last year will be even more formidable in coming seasons.

“The last 12 to 24 months we didn’t have many older horses around us. We’re a pretty young stable in that sense,” Bott said. “We can see horses like Prompt Response training on through their open years and the two-year-olds making the grade next season and then the young ones coming through. Hopefully that only increases the quality of horses we have in the stable.”

Bott believes the days where Tulloch Lodge was the best big-race stable in the country can return.

“I would like to think the numbers and the results Gai achieved previously, there’s no reason the stable can’t be back on par with that,” he said.

But first, there’s a Group 1 race to be won on Saturday and Prompt Response is giving all the right signals she’s up to the task.

Prompt Response has thrived since her victory in the Dane Ripper Stakes.

Waterhouse and Bott have given Prompt Response an almost carbon copy Tiara preparation to the one which was deployed successfully with Cosmic Endeavour three years ago.

“We certainly used what we did with Cosmic Endeavour as a good benchmark to follow,” Bott said. “It was the long-range plan to tackle the Tatts Tiara and we’ve aimed to have her peaking for this race, keeping in mind she does take a few runs to reach peak fitness.

“Last preparation in Melbourne she broke through and won fifth up, she won fifth up again this time again. Hopefully we’ve got her exactly where she needs to be to perform at the highest level on the big day.”

Bott said Prompt Response had thrived since her convincing Dane Ripper victory a fortnight ago.

Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse enjoyed plenty of success in their first season as a training partnership. Picture: Scott Fletcher

“She’s very deep into her preparation, so we’ve just had to keep her ticking over and hold her together since her last run,” Bott said. “I think she deserves to be one of the ­favoured runners in the race on the strength of that win.

“In saying that, I’m very respectful of the favourite In Her Time. She ran a big race in the Stradbroke. It was an enormous performance and back to mares grade you have to respect her greatly.”

Stablemate My True Love, fifth emergency in the Tiara, will race in next week’s Sunshine Coast Guineas at Caloundra, assuming she doesn’t secure a start tomorrow at Doomben.

Originally published as Adrian Bott eyes another Group 1 success to cap off first season in partnership with Gai Waterhouse