Trial Stars out to correct Waterhouse's Gimcrack anomaly

It has to be one of the craziest stats in racing – for all her two-year-old dominance over the years seven time Golden Slipper winning trainer Gai Waterhouse has never won the Group 3 $200,000 Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes (1000m).

Trainer : Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse
Trainer : Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse Picture: (Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Waterhouse and co-trainer Adrian Bott appear to have the firepower to make 2022 the year that anomaly is rectified with three fillies at Royal Randwick on Saturday who each recorded impressive wins at the official two-year-old trials.

They are Russian Revolution filly and early $2.90 TAB favourite Perfect Proposal, who recorded the fastest time of the trial session, Zoustar filly Platinum Jubilee and I Am Invincible filly Sicilian.

"There are some nice fillies around us this year who are all forward and precocious and trialled up well, they won their respective trials,'' Bott said.

"They look pretty professional and have put their hand up to go so we'll give them their opportunity."

After a rousing trial win all eyes will be on Perfect Proposal, a $420,000 Easter Yearling purchase out of a full sister to former star filly Alinghi, and Bott said her talent was there for everyone to see in her trial win in 51.06 for the 850m.

"She jumped, showed good speed, travelled well on a good tempo and quickened off that tempo,'' he said.

"She ran the fastest time of the morning and I think that was quite impressive."

Sicilian recorded 51.38 in winning her trial at Randwick, about two lengths slower than her stablemate, and she's from a family that produced 2016 Gimcrack winner Jorda.

The $650,000 Magic Millions purchase will need to use all the gate speed she mustered in that trial win to offset an outside barrier but Bott said she did have a something in hand in that public hitout.

"She showed really good gate speed, good tactical speed and I like the way she found the line,'' he said.

"She looked to have a bit in store and she's an improver."

The third of the trio is the interestingly named Platinum Jubilee, a $600,000 Magic Millions filly, who ran comparable time to Sicilian in winning her heat in 51.40 seconds.

Her dam Miss Debutante produced last season's Widden Staks and Black Opal winner Queen Of The Ball.

"Platinum Jubilee is bombproof, she's straightforward, a readymade two-year-old,'' he said.

"I think we have some nice two-year-olds around us for sure.

"We have some later maturers, we tried to get a nice mix of the types of horses. There are a few that have put their hand up early, a few that are going to need a bit of time and a bit of ground later."

While still searching for that first Gimcrack Stakes, Waterhouse has five wins in the Group 3 $200,000 Arrowfield Breeders' Plate (1000m), the last in 2014 with Vancouver, and produces an inexpensive colt called Tarabeau.

The son of Brazen Beau was an early foal, born on July 20, and cost just $90,000 at the Inglis Classic Sale. He stopped the clock at 51.94 in his trial win, one that Bott saw plenty of merit in.

"He showed speed and just travelled really well,'' he said.

"He was three wide off a tough run there but, the way he kept balanced around the turn and straightened up and was able to quicken away, there was a lot to like.

"He was open to a bit of improvement on his fitness and he's come on nicely since that. He's a real two-year-old type of horse."


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