Gai Waterhouse’s brilliant colt Vancouver heads the early order of entry for the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 12.
The Gai Waterhouse trained Vancouver heads the order of entry for the Golden Rose Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Vancouver is the number one money earner with $2.362 million in the bank with wins from four starts including a sensational victory in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Carnival.
The Waterhouse trained colt began his racing career with a win in the Listed $100,000 NSW Thoroughbred Breeders’ Plate (1000m) at Randwick on October 4 during the 2014 Spring Carnival and Waterhouse immediately labelled the Medaglia D’Oro colt as her main Golden Slipper hope.
Following a short break Vancouver returned to the track for a win in the Group 3 $150,000 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on January 31 before he had his last Golden Slipper lead up run with a win in the Group 2 $300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on March 7.
Waterhouse has reported that Vancover is ready to barrier trial this coming Friday at Randwick as he continued to shine on the tracks in the morning.
Vancouver matched it with Group 1 winner Cosmic Endeavour on the track last Thursday with the pair working together over 1000m, running home the final 200m in 11 seconds.
Waterhouse said on her website that work rider Steve O’Halloran was most impressed with Vancouver’s work, saying that he felt very powerful.
“The best pair of the morning were undoubtedly Cosmic Endeavour and Vancouver who went stride for stride over 1000m at full speed coming home their last 200m in 11.0 seconds. Aboard Vancouver, Steve O’Halloran said “power back and front,” Waterhouse said.
The Peter and Paul Snowden trained Pride Of Dubai is second on the Golden Rose order of entry with $1.336m in prizemoney, mainly courtesy of his win in the Group 1 $1m Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield in February.
Waterhouse also has English prominent in the order of entry at third position with $823,950 and the Encosta De Lago filly showed that she has plenty of ability with her second to stablemate Vancouver in the Golden Slipper Stakes.
On the fourth line is Ottoman, the first of Godolphin’s nineteen entries trained by John O’Shea, in front of Lake Geneva for Team Hawkes and J J Atkins winner Press Statemant from the powerful Chris Waller stable.
In early betting for the Golden Rose Stakes Vancouver listed as the $3 favourite ahead of Pride Of Dubai at $7, Mogador at $9 and Press Statement at $11.
