Gai Waterhouse looks to winter Queensland Winter Carnival in pursuit of more Group 1 glory

BUOYED by her success in the All Aged Stakes, Gai Waterhouse is now looking to Queensland to build on her tally of 134 career Group 1 wins as the season draws to a close.

BUOYED by her success in the All Aged Stakes, Gai Waterhouse is now looking to Queensland to build on her tally of 134 career Group 1 wins as the season draws to a close.

“I will be there with bells on and I’m bringing a really nice team up there of about six to eight horses,” Waterhouse said yesterday.

“I’m really looking forward to it. English will run in the three big sprints, starting off with the BTC Cup on May 14. She’s going great guns and those three sprints look lovely races for her.”

English gave Waterhouse a record fifth All Aged Stakes, bettering the record she previously shared with her father T.J. Smith.

Her last All Aged Stakes winner was Bentley Biscuit in 2007 and he was able to come to Brisbane next start and beat Takeover Target in the BTC Cup.

Interestingly, Waterhouse then went six years without training a major in Queensland, but she has atoned the last three years, winning the 2013 and 2014 JJ Atkins (Romantic Touch and Almalad), 2014 Tatts Tiara (Cosmic Endeavour) and 2015 Doomben Cup (Pornichet).

English will have a good support cast heading north with her.

Excess Knowledge is being prepared for the Doomben Cup, Cafe Society is being schooled over some jumps to freshen for a Brisbane Cup tilt and the team will also include two-year-olds Prompt Response and Evacuation, a four-lengths winner at Kembla on Saturday.

Evacuation is raced by Ron and Debbie Gilbert’s Darling Downs-based Highgrove Stud, who were once again among the top vendors at Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

“Evacuation is more of a miler and I asked Gai why she was starting him in a 1000m race on Saturday,” Gilbert said.

“But I obviously haven’t trained as many Group 1 winners as Gai and she just told me good horses can do that and she was right.”

English, ridden by Sam Clipperton, wins the All Aged Stakes at the weekend.

Gilbert is also hopeful the Hawkes-trained Legerity can be a Queensland carnival contender in his colours. “He’s set to race at Canterbury on Wednesday and John Hawkes has told me he’s gone to another level this time in,” he said.

Evacuation was retained to race after being passed in at Easter last year, while Legerity was injured early on and didn’t go to sale.

“He stripped his leg and he still walks shockingly.

“All the vets think he is lame and so do the jockeys, but John assures them all it’s nothing to worry about,” Gilbert said.

Rosehill Group 3 winner Attention is another Highgrove graduate that Gilbert anticipates coming for the carnival.

Highgrove sold eight yearlings at Easter for an average just short of $400,000.

Originally published as Gai Waterhouse looks to winter Queensland Winter Carnival in pursuit of more Group 1 glory