Written by Kristen Manning
Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Thirteen trials took place at Randwick this morning - a good morning for the Waterhouse and Bott stable and for the Widden-based stallion, Zoustar.
Getting the upper hand late in the first of the morning's juvenile trials (the sole 1045-metre heat) was the Les Bridge-trained, cleverly named, unraced homebred Aye Aye Captain (Merchant Navy). A son of the Canterbury winner Dal Dal (Encosta De Lago), he was having his third trial - showing improvement at each outing. A half-brother to the city winners French Rock (Statue Of Liberty {USA}) and Skedaddle (I Am Invincible), he is a grandson of the Listed winner Blab (Flying Spur) who produced the G1 Flight S. winner Speak Fondly (Northern Meteor) and the G2 Hobartville S. winner Wild And Proud (Snowland).
Also unraced is the runner-up Inoue (Shalaa {Ire}), another homebred and a previous Randwick trial winner. He is out of the Group 2-placed The Darling One (Lonhro), dam of the Listed Cap d'Antibes S. winner Wayupinthesky (Snitzel).
The first of three heats over the shorter trip of 740 metres was taken out by Zsa Zsa (Zoustar) who was game getting up along the rails. The unraced filly is a member of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable - purchased by them with owners Strawberry Hill Stud for $800,000 at last year's Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Zsa Zsa won Heat 9 at Randwick trials on Thursday | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
She is the first foal for the unraced Katresha (Fastnet Rock), full sister to the G3 Arrowfield Classic winner Dawn Wall and half-sister to the G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Osaila (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and the G3 Dance Design S. winner Obama Rule (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) - in turn dam of the triple Group winner Insinuendo (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}).
Zsa Zsa's third dam is the French Horse of the Year Detroit (Fr) (Riverman {USA}), dam of Carnegie (Ire) from the family of Zabeel (NZ). Waterhouse and Bott also had the second-placed runner Catoggio (Written Tycoon), a son of the dual stakes winner Palazzo Pubblico (Conatus) and half-sister to the Listed winner Palazzo Spirit (Spirit Of Boom). The $460,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate was a debut fourth in the G3 Maribyrnong Plate in November.
The same stable enjoyed success in the following heat with Manuscript (Written By) who has now won two of his three trials. The $85,000 Magic Millions purchase, bred by Newhaven Park, is out of the Group 3-placed Sugarparma (Snitzel).
Phenom won Heat 11 at Randwick trials on Thursday | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
And it was another Waterhouse/Bott finish to the next trial with Phenom (Zoustar) defeating her stablemate Killcare Beachgirl (Too Darn Hot {GB}). A $300,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, bred by Emmanuel Bloodstock, the winner is a full sister to the G3 Black Opal S. runner-up Solar Winds out of the city winner Saga Of The Storm (Real Saga).
The runner-up is a Strawberry Hill homebred, half-sister to the G3 Autumn Classic winner Castlereagh Kid (Snitzel) from the prolific Denise's Joy (Seventh Hussar {Fr}) family.
A winner earlier in the morning was King's Gambit (I Am Invincible) who was a beaten but hardly disgraced favourite in the G1 Oakleigh Plate at his first run since taking out the G2 Roman Consul S. in October.
The 2022 G3 Gimcrack S. winner Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar) was able to shade the last-start G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Ozzmosis (also by Zoustar) who looks to have come up in good order.
Zoustar enjoyed a particularly good morning with the lightly raced Waterhouse and Bott-trained maiden Tautou finding the line as did the Snowden-trained Zouprince.
Tautou won Heat 6 at Randwick trials on Thursday | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Ciaron Maher-trained triple stakes winner I Am Me (I Am Invincible) was also in winning form whilst another stakes winner looking set for a nice campaign is Rise Of The Masses (Russian Revolution).
The last two heats were won by unraced Waterhouse and Bott trained 3-year-olds. American Starlet (American Pharoah {USA}) - a homebred for the Hodgens family - is out of the dual Group 3 winner Amelie's Star (Testa Rossa) whilst Palikari (Knight Exemplar) - also a homebred - is out of the Group 3-placed city winner Karalee (O'Reilly {NZ}), dam of the Listed Princess S. winner Improvise (Hinchinbrook) and daughter of the G2 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic winner Moralee (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}).
Palikari won Heat 13 at Randwick trials on Thursday | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
There were also four 2-year-old trials held at the Sunshine Coast - won by Will It Snow (NZ) (Super Seth), Heart And Spirit (Spirit Of Boom), Toro Strike (Toronado {Ire}) and Rising Ruby (Flying Artie).
The Waikato Stud-bred Will It Snow, a $60,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale buy, is trained by Bevan Laming and was having his second trial. Having her first trial was the Stuart Kendrick-trained Heart And Spirit, a $180,000 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale graduate bred by Wicklow Lodge - also breeder of her G1 Manikato S.-winning full brother Jonker.
Her stablemate Toro Strike won the following heat. The $135,000 weanling who was re-sold as a yearling for $60,000 is a half-brother to Aim (Star Witness) out of a daughter of the G1 Coolmore Classic winner Bollinger (Dehere {USA}), daughter of the G1 Golden Slipper S. heroine Bint Marscay (Marscay).
Local trainer Billy Healey prepares Rising Ruby, a Griffin and Davis family homebred out of the metropolitan winner Royal Hussy (Reaan) whose grandam is the G1 Western Australian Oaks winner True Devotion (Beau Sovereign {NZ}).
