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‘The one they have to beat’: Gai Waterhouse gives Fully Lit’s jockey Regan Bayliss a licence to thrill in Inglis Millennium

A wide barrier holds no fears for Fully Lit’s trainer Gai Waterhouse, who will instruct jockey Regan Bayliss to use the colt’s brilliant speed in Saturday’s $2m Inglis Millennium.

RAY THOMASRACING
Fully Lit (Regan Bayliss) is the favourite for Saturday’s $2m Inglis Millennium at Randwick. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images
Fully Lit (Regan Bayliss) is the favourite for Saturday’s $2m Inglis Millennium at Randwick. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images
5 min read
6:30AMFebruary 10, 2024

Gai Waterhouse is giving jockey Regan Bayliss a licence to thrill on favourite Fully Lit in the $2 million Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Unbeaten Fully Lit has drawn wide in barrier 17 for the rich two-year-old race but Waterhouse has never been one to worry too much about starting positions and will be instructing Bayliss to make use of the colt’s brilliant speed.

“Regan has an amazing ability to be like lightning out of the gates,’’ Waterhouse said.

“This will play hugely in Fully Lit’s favour to get across the field. He’s the one they have to beat.’’

Fully Lit, who was dynamic on debut at Rosehill, is the $3.50 favourite on TAB Fixed odds to continue Tulloch Lodge’s phenomenal run of success with the two-year-old team this season.

• Plenty in the Trunk for Yulong’s Millennium bid

Waterhouse and her co-trainer Adrian Bott have already produced 11 individual two-year-old winners of 14 races in the 2023-24 season.

Their two-year-olds have cleaned up with numerous feature race wins including the Magic Millions from sensational colt Storm Boy, Golden Gift (Shangri La Express), Canonbury Stakes (Prost), Widden Stakes (Lady of Camelot) and Breeders Plate (Espionage).

The Waterhouse-Bott stable has five of the top seven in early betting for the $5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill on March 23 including $3 favourite Storm Boy, who was sold earlier this week in a deal that potentially values the colt at a world record $60 million.

Fully Lit, who cost just $60,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, is at $34 for the Golden Slipper but he will vault towards the top of the betting if he can win the Inglis Millennium.

Bott also seems unperturbed about Fully Lit’s outside draw.

“Fully Lit has drawn a little awkwardly but hopefully has he has the natural tactical speed to overcome that barrier,’’ Bott said. “This colt has done really well since winning on debut.’’

Waterhouse and Bott are also represented by Trunk who shaped promisingly on debut when second at Geelong behind Blue Diamond Prelude contender Stay Focused.

Bott said Trunk “comes out of a strong form race” and has trialled well since returning to Sydney.

“He hasn’t put a foot wrong between runs,’’ Bott said.

Waterhouse and Bott are also relying on Anode’s sheer ability to overcome a wide draw in the Listed $200,000 Lonhro Plate (1000m).

Anode, runaway winner of his only start at Randwick earlier this summer, is the $2 favourite despite drawing out in barrier 13. Stablemate The Three Hundred is an $11 chance.

No Frills, just sheer speed

On the subject of sheer speed, the fastest horse at Royal Randwick today is Frilled.

The Matthew Smith-trained Frilled has never been beaten in races or barrier trials and has led throughout in each of her five wins.

Frilled is the $2.40 favourite to protect her perfect race record in the Laurel Oak Bloodstock Handicap (1000m).

Smith said he has never trained a faster horse out of the barriers than Frilled but the mare only has one “gear” which is flat out and is the main reason she has not yet raced beyond 1000m.

“We will find out more about Frilled on Saturday because Randwick is not an ideal track for her the ways she races,’’ Smith said. “But she’s makes her own luck out in front – she’s exciting to watch.’’

Smith also has the in-form Floating and Royal Robbins lining up in the ASI Solutions Handicap (1600m).

Floating scored a deserved win over the Randwick mile course last start while former French galloper Royal Robbins is resuming from a spell.

“This is a starting point for Royal Robbins,’’ Smith said. “He will improve with racing.

“Floating gets in with a lightweight and he will run a good race. He’s going well.’’

Can Veight engineer another 3yo domination?

Veight, the only three-year-old in the C.F. Orr Stakes, is attempting to improve the age group’s imposing record in the Group 1 weight-for-age over 1400m at Caulfield on Saturday.

Three-year-olds have won nine of the last 25 renewals of the Orr Stakes including Jacquinot’s win over older horses last year, albeit on protest.

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Veight, runner-up in the Caulfield Guineas last spring, showed he can mix it with older horses with his first-up win in the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley two weeks ago.

Veight has been the best-backed runner with TAB Fixed Odds to beat the outstanding Mr Brightside, firming form $7 into $5 second favouritism.

But Mr Brightside, trained by Ben, Will and JD Hayes, dominates Orr Stakes betting although he has eased slightly to $1.95 despite some big bets of $4,000 at $1.85 and $3,000 at $1.80.

Snow-storm in Blue Diamond Prelude

Trainers Peter and Paul Snowden are “gang-tackling” the Group 3 $300,000 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield with three classy colts, High Octane, Holmes A Court and Bodyguard.

High Octane and Holmes A Court ran the quinella on debut in the Preview two weeks ago with the former finishing fast to win by three-quarters of a length. The stablemates put three lengths on their chasing rivals that day.

Bodyguard, an impressive winner of the Maribrynong Trial at his only start back in spring, gives Team Snowden a definite opportunity to trifecta the Prelude – and bookies agree.

High Octane is the $2.90 favourite with Bodyguard pressing at $3.20 while Holmes A Court seems over the odds at $19.

In the fillies Prelude, the Hayes stable’s Bold Bastille, runaway winner of her only start back in spring, is a firm $1.95 favourite.

Winding back the clock: 5 years ago

Castelvecchio, trained by Richard Litt, came from last on the turn to score an impressive fast-finishing win in the inaugural Inglis Millennium, run at Warwick Farm that year. Castelvecchio won the Champagne Stakes later that season then returned as a three-year-old to win the Rosehill Guineas and run second in the Cox Plate. The Kris Lees-trained Gem Song resumed with a good win in the Eskimo Prince Stakes. Godolphin’s promising colt Bivouac handled the heavy going to win the Lonhro Plate. The Tony McEvoy-trained Manuel started at $21 and led all the way for an upset win in the Group 1 Orr Stakes at Caulfield.

10 years ago

El Roca, ridden by Hugh Bowman, resumed with a two-lengths win over Dissident in the Eskimo Prince Stakes. The two colts clashed again in the Randwick Guineas when Dissident gained revenge in a thrilling finish. Alpha Miss, trained by Gary Nickson, won the Lonhro Plate to go with her Gimcrack and Widden Stakes successes earlier in the season. Moment Of Change gave trainer Peter Moody and jockey Luke Nolen their fourth Orr Stakes win in five years when he led throughout and held off Eurozone.

20 years ago

Champion Lonhro, trained by John Hawkes and ridden by Darren Beadman, began his final race campaign with a fast finishing win over Vocabulary in the Orr Stakes. Spark Of Life sped around Canterbury to win the Eskimo Prince Stakes by more than three lengths. This was the Allan Denham-trained sprinter’s first stakes win and he trained on to win three times at Group 1 level as an older horse in The Galaxy (2004) and Manikato Stakes (2004-05).

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/horse-racing/the-one-they-have-to-beat-gai-waterhouse-gives-fully-lits-jockey-regan-bayliss-a-licence-to-thrill-in-inglis-millennium/news-story/09d5cc3cb72a4ec784f8e307f50d9272