Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott keen to run Espionage in Group 1 Oakleigh Plate

Returning colt Espionage will be action at Caulfield on Saturday and co-trainer Adrian Bott is keen to see the three-year-old take on the older horses in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate.

Jockey Michael Dee riding Espionage during gallops ahead of the colt’s possible tilt at Saturday’s Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield. Picture: Getty Images

Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will be happy to tackle the harder assignment if the opportunity arises with million-dollar colt Espionage at Saturday’s Caulfield meeting.

Waterhouse and Bott have entered Espionage for the Group 3 Zeditave Stakes (1200m) against his own age and the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) against the older horses.

Bott said Tulloch Lodge would test Espionage in the Oakleigh Plate if the son of Zoustar was able to scrape into the field.

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Espionage is 23rd in the order of entry for the $750,000 Oakleigh Plate, which features a maximum field of 16 runners.

“He’s had a bit of time to settle in (at Flemington) and get the prep right so we’ll just see how we land on Saturday in terms of the races,” the Randwick-based Bott said.

Waterhouse and Bott entered Espionage for last Saturday’s Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington after the three-year-old, a $1m yearling buy, trialled down the straight course.

However, Bott said Espionage had shown signs of looking for a longer distance than the 1000m of the Lightning Stakes.

Espionage has not raced as a three-year-old but showed plenty of ability as a two-year-old winning on debut in the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate (1000m) and Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes last season.

Oakleigh Plate hopeful Espionage impressed with two Group 3 wins during his two-year-old season. Picture: Getty Images

Bott said a setback prompted the stable to abandon Espionage’s spring preparation, which was part of the reason connections decided against tackling the Lightning Stakes at the sprinter’s fifth start.

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“He got to the trials (in the spring) and we had to tip him out so we’ve haven’t seen as much of him as we’d have liked,” Bott said.

“That was one of the factors why he didn’t take his place in the Lightning at weight-for-age. He’s still a relatively inexperienced horse.

“His ability says he’ll get there at some point but we’re probably just a preparation behind.

“It would have been great to have that three-year-old campaign to get him to where we wanted to.”

Group 1-winning jockey Michael Dee rode Espionage in a gallop to familiarise the speedster with the Caulfield circuit on Tuesday morning.

Espionage was keen early but pleased Bott with the manner in which he finished his trackwork.

“He (Dee) just switched his beeper on and gave him the green light to get on with the gallop,” Bott said.

“Once he found a nice rhythm, he looked nice and relaxed and, importantly, worked up nice and strongly through the line.

“He looked good and handled the (Melbourne) way of going.”

Originally published as Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott keen to run Espionage in Group 1 Oakleigh Plate