Dawn Passage (Dawn Approach {Ire}) always looked a colt likely to improve as a 3-year-old, winning impressively on debut at Randwick in January before an unlucky third behind subsequent Group 1 winner Castelvecchio (Dundeel {NZ}) in the Inglis Millennium at Warwick Farm in his first campaign.
Bypassing the major autumn 2-year-old races, Waterhouse and co-trainer Adrian Bott gave him more time to grow and develop and that approach looks to have paid dividends as he delivered a devastating late sprint in the Rosebud to defeat Let It Pour (Redoute's Choice) by 0.3l, just ahead of Lucicello (I Am Invincible).
Waterhouse has only one destination in her mind for Dawn Passage, who she, Bott and Blue Sky Bloodstock purchased for $150,000 at the 2018 Melbourne Premier Sale.
“I think it is exactly the right stepping-stone for the Golden Rose wouldn’t you say,” Waterhouse said.
“He is an outstanding individual and an outstanding colt."
“To do what he did today and to make up the lengths he did, it is only 1100m, I thought it was an outstanding effort."
“To do what he did today and to make up the lengths he did, it is only 1100m, I thought it was an outstanding effort." - Gai Waterhouse
Waterhouse is confident that there is still considerable improvement in Dawn Passage as he gets out over further than 1200m, with the G1 Caulfield Guineas also a possible destination.
“You are only going to see more of him and I think he is going to improve as he gets over further,” she said.
The strong pace set by Cardiff (Snitzel) certainly played into the hands of Dawn Passage's jockey Tim Clark, who sat the colt second-last throughout, bringing him to the outside of all but Lucicello on straightening.
Jockey Tim Clark believes he's a very talented colt
“I am sure he would have been a bit closer today had a drawn a little better but I spoke to Gai before the race and thought we would get him cover out of the wind," Clark said.
“That’s his pattern to a degree. He is obviously a very talented colt and I love the way he pins his ears back late and savaged the line.”
"He is obviously a very talented colt and I love the way he pins his ears back late and savaged the line.” - Tim Clark
The victory represented the second stakes win for Darley's Dawn Approach (Ire), who won’t shuttle to Australia in 2019 having served the previous five seasons here.
He has had 21 winners from 64 runners in Australia, including three winners this season already in just ten days.
Plenty of positives for beaten brigade
The beaten brigade was far from disgraced with Brenton Avdulla on Bjorn Baker's Let It Pour full of praise for her at just her second start.
“She ran terrific,” Avdulla said.
“She’s still learning her craft so to be going to the line with those sets her up well into the future.”
Tommy Berry on the Chris Waller trained Lucicello, said his filly just lacked the turn of foot to match it with Dawn Passage late in the race.
Tommy Berry belives Lucicello's result proves she is up to the task
"It was a massive rise in class, it shows she is up to the task, the winner just sprinted better than us on the day," he said.
Fourth-placed Superium (Verrazano {USA}) suffered the first defeat of his career, but was excellent working home along the inside, while fifth-placed Athiri (Lonhro) was also very good on resumption, beaten just over a length.
