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Gai Waterhouse adopting proven Golden Slipper formula with Magic Millions graduate Tempestuous

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will be out to bolster their Golden Slipper contingent when exciting type Tempestuous steps out at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Ray Thomas
7 min read
December 26, 2024 - 12:00PM
Tempestuous (middle) contesting the Breeders Plate in October at Royal Randwick
Tempestuous (middle) contesting the Breeders Plate in October at Royal Randwick

The Gai Waterhouse theory means it is more than likely we have already seen the Golden Slipper winner this season.

Racing’s first lady believes a two-year-old benefits greatly from having had a race preparation before the end of December which readies them for the rigours of a Slipper campaign.

This is the one of the reasons Waterhouse believes Tempestuous will be hard to beat in the Petaluma Handicap (1000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

FIELDS AND FORM RANDWICK SATURDAY

Tempestuous, a $375,000 Magic Millions Sale graduate, is by Newgate Farm’s champion sire Extreme Choice out of Sepoy mare Windradyne, herself a half-sister to four-time English Group 1-winning sprinter Sole Power.

The striking chestnut colt has already been to the races twice previously, finishing a close second on debut in the Breeders Plate before his fourth in the Wyong Magic Millions earlier this month.

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“Tempestuous ran very well for second in the Breeders Plate, I really like this colt,’’ Waterhouse said.

“He will improve off his Wyong run when he raced in front and they went very fast.

“I love those two-year-olds that have raced in a Breeders Plate or a Gimcrack Stakes, or have their first starts before the end of the year.

“I believe they have a huge advantage going into the autumn because that first racing preparation stands them in such good stead for the Golden Slipper.’’

But in keeping with the Waterhouse theory, O’ Ole and Memo are looming as major threats to Tempestuous on Saturday.

O’ Ole and Memo both ran in the Gimcrack Stakes, finishing second and third respectively behind the brilliant Bel Merci.

The Bjorn Baker-trained O’ Ole has race experience on her side on Saturday as this will be her fourth career start. She is coming off a strong win in the Wyong Magic Millions from the Peter Snowden-trained Memo with Tempestuous beaten out of a place.

In early TAB Fixed Odds betting, Memo is favourite at $2.60 ahead of the Team Hawkes-trained Gallo Nero at $4.40 with Tempestuous at $5.50 then O’ Ole at $7.

Tempestuous, along with Memo and O’ Ole, are having their final lead-up runs into the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 11.

Waterhouse can speak with authority on the Golden Slipper as the Hall of Fame trainer has prepared a record eight winners of the world’s richest juvenile race.

The Hall of Fame trainer has won the world’s richest juvenile race with Ha Ha (2001), Dance Hero (2004), Sebring (2008), Pierro (2012), Overreach (2013), Vancouver (2015), Farnan (2020) and Lady Of Camelot (2024).

With the notable exception of Sebring, all of Waterhouse’s Golden Slipper winners had raced before Christmas in their juvenile seasons.

Ha Ha won on debut at Randwick in December 16, 2000, then the following autumn she led home a famous Waterhouse-trained trifecta in the Golden Slipper beating stablemates Excellerator and Red Hannigan.

Dance Hero was third on debut in the 2003 Breeders Plate then became the only two-year-old to win the Magic Millions and Sydney juvenile triple crown of the Golden Slipper, ATC Sires Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes.

Pierro won the 2011 Breeders Plate, prompting Waterhouse to make a bold declaration immediately after the race: “You have just seen the Golden Slipper winner!”

Waterhouse was right with Pierro completing an unbeaten juvenile season with a triple crown clean sweep including his brilliant 2012 Golden Slipper win.

Overreach had her first start at Caulfield in October, 2012, finishing second in the Debutants Stakes. She returned in the autumn to race away with the Golden Slipper.

Vancouver was also unbeaten as a two-year-old, winning the 2014 Breeders Plate before training on to win the Canonbury Stakes, Todman Stakes and Golden Slipper the following autumn.

Waterhouse’s last two Golden Slipper wins were in partnership with Adrian Bott but she stayed true to her proven formula.

Farnan won on debut at Canberra in November, 2019, while Lady Of Camlet ran fourth in the 2023 Gimcrack Stakes before both won the Golden Slipper later in their two-year-old seasons.

The only Waterhouse-trained Golden Slipper winner that didn’t race before Christmas as a two-year-old was Sebring but that was primarily due to the 2007 equine influenza outbreak which prevented racing in Sydney from August until December.

Sebring made his race debut in January, 2008, winning at Randwick. He then won his next two starts before his Golden Slipper triumph.

In fact, since 2000, no fewer than 17 of the 25 Golden Slipper winners raced prior to January - that’s a 68 per cent ratio of Slipper winners this century.

The other Golden Slipper winners that did not make their race debuts before the end of December are Shinzo (2023), Stay Inside (2022), Estijaab (2018), Forensics (2007), Miss Finland (2006) and Stratum (2005).

“We see it so often with those two-year-olds that run early in the season, particularly in the Breeders Plate and Gimcrack Stakes, they are more experienced and know what they are doing when they return for their second campaigns,” Waterhouse said.

“You only have to think of Lady Of Camelot. She started in the Gimcrack Stakes (beaten as favourite) but she came back a stronger filly in the autumn and won the Golden Slipper.’’

Waterhouse and Bott trained the Breeders Plate trifecta for the second consecutive year with Tempestuous and North England finishing in the placings behind their ill-fated stablemate King Kirk.

North England then came out next start and won the Golden Gift and is already assured of a start in the $5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill in March.

“It’s half the battle getting a horse qualified for the Golden Slipper so we don’t have to worry about North England, he’s in the race,’’ Waterhouse said.

North England, a well-bred colt from the first crop by Farnan, has returned to Tulloch Lodge and is in pre-training ahead of an autumn campaign.

“I am so impressed with North England, he has grown into a lovely colt,’’ Waterhouse said.

“He’s much bigger, he’s very professional and has developed into a really nice horse.’’

If North England is the number one seed from the Waterhouse-Bott stable for the Golden Slipper at this early stage of the season, who does the champion trainer rate as the main danger?

“I have to say Michael Freedman’s two-year-old, Pallaton, (he) was very impressive winning at Randwick last Saturday,’’ Waterhouse admitted.

■ The Waterhouse and Bott-trained Graphic Sight, raced by all-conquering Yulong team, was nominated for Randwick but the trainers decided to debut the youngster in the Clan O’Sullivan (1000m) at Canberra on Friday.

Graphic Sight is by Yulong’s boom first season stallion Lucky Vega, sire of unbeaten filly Within The Law, and is a direct descendant on his dam’s side to 1990 Golden Slipper winner Canny Lad.

“I do think Graphic Sight is a smart two-year-old and a horse to follow in the New Year,’’ Waterhouse said.

WATERHOUSE CONFIDENT IN CRACK FILLIES FOR MAGIC MILLIONS SUNLIGHT

Gai Waterhouse has declared Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot and boom unbeaten filly Gerringong the horses to beat in the inaugural $3 million Magic Millions Sunlight (1100m) at the Gold Coast next week.

Lady Of Camelot was winless during her spring campaign but ran exceptionally well at Group 1 level to finish fourth in Bella Nipotina’s The Everest and then third in the Coolmore Stud Stakes behind Switzerland. She tuned up for The Sunlight with a brilliant Hawkesbury barrier trial win last week.

Gerringong, raced by leading owner John Singleton and a syndicate including rugby league legends Mick Cronin, Bob O’Reilly and Peter Wynn, has won her only two starts impressively at Canterbury in recent weeks.

“You dream about a horse like Lady Of Camelot,” Waterhouse said.

“She won the Golden Slipper last season and during the spring she was so consistent in all the big sprints. I can’t be happier with her going into the Gold Coast race.

“Gerringong is a very exciting filly. It’s good for ‘Singo’ to have another nice horse.

“I’ve also got another promising filly for him called Zsa Zsa who is in Melbourne and is trialling very well. She’s resuming early in January and is a New Year surprise package for ‘Singo’.”

Waterhouse and her co-trainer Adrian Bott can further strengthen their Gold Coast carnival team with promising three-year-olds Shangri La Express and Catoggio getting ready for the $3 million Magic Millions Guineas on January 11 at separate venues on Saturday.

Shangri La Express ($4.80) is challenging for favouritism in the James Squire Handicap (1200m) and Catoggio ($4.80) is also near the top of betting for the Group 3 $300,000 Vo Rogue Plate (1300m) at Eagle Farm.

The talented Shangri La Express, winner of the Golden Gift last season, was disappointing in two starts early in the spring, but he has pleased Waterhouse in two recent barrier trials ahead of his Randwick return.

“Adrian is very happy with Shangri La Express, the colt is going well,” Waterhouse said.

Catoggio defeated Bosustow in the Listed Springtime Stakes at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival and the duo, named after former Carlton VFL stars Vin Catoggio and Peter Bosustow, clash again in the Vo Rogue Plate.

Waterhouse is enthusiastic about how well Catoggio has trained on since the gelding’s Melbourne spring campaign.

“Catoggio has come back even stronger after he won in Melbourne,” Waterhouse said. “He’s had a trial in Sydney between runs and is the horse they have to beat at Eagle Farm.”

Originally published as Gai Waterhouse adopting proven Golden Slipper formula with Magic Millions graduate Tempestuous

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/gai-waterhouse-adopting-proven-golden-slipper-formula-with-magic-millions-graduate-tempestuous/news-story/7424132af5a1329078a379f3e799cc8f