Former Champagne Stakes runner-up Bases Loaded wins Gunsynd Classic

Former Group 1 placegetter Bases Loaded lands Gunsynd Classic for the all conquering Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott team.

Bases Loaded wins the Gunsynd Classic at Eagle Farm for jockey Tim Clark and trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography.

It wasn’t quite the madcap scenes when Alligator Blood won the Stradbroke Handicap two years earlier, but racing’s first lady Gai Waterhouse and training partner Adrian Bott conjured another masterful training blitz on the big day.

While punters came for Godolphin three-year-old Razors ($3.40 into $2.90) in the Group 3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m), Tim Clark took Waterhouse-Bott colt Bases Loaded ($7) to the lead and made the race a one-act affair at Eagle Farm.

The flashy colt never looked in danger of being beaten although Port Lockroy ($11) appreciated the drop back in distance from the 2000m of the Rough Habit Plate and ran home strongly for second.

Waterhouse is half a world away in Europe where husband Robbie is set to field at Royal Ascot next week.

Bott, on course at Eagle Farm on Saturday, said Bases Loaded appreciated getting back on a firm track after two previous runs this Queensland winter carnival were on rain-affected ground.

All bases covered! 👏

It’s all Bases Loaded in the G3 Sky Racing Gunsynd Classic at Eagle Farm for @GaiWaterhouse1 - Bott and @clarkyhk!@BrisRacingClubpic.twitter.com/UqHCYiO3pr

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 15, 2024

Bases Loaded has always been loaded with talent, finishing runner-up in last year’s Group 1 Champagne Stakes at Randwick which was won by Militarize.

“I thought he broke their hearts today in the mid stages with the way he got rolling and he was able to be tough enough to hang on,” Bott said.

“He’s been a talented horse right from the outset.

“The best run of his career was in a group one placing at a mile to Militarize, so we’ve always been trying to get back to those conditions.

“Getting him back on top of the ground today was the key.

“He’s a lovely big colt, so you could see why he’d struggle in heavy conditions.”

While Bases Loaded made his own luck upfront, Razors under jockey James McDonald struggled to find clear air and was never a factor, finishing fourth but beaten more than four lengths.

Originally published as Former Champagne Stakes runner-up Bases Loaded wins Gunsynd Classic