Vancouver is currently available at 2015 San Domenico Stakes odds of $2.60 and a typically confident Gai Waterhouse has instructed punters to ‘just back’ the Golden Slipper winner in the Group 3 event at Rosehill Gardens this afternoon.
Gai Waterhouse is confident that Vancouver will make a winning return to racing in the 2015 San Domenico Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Vancouver was the star two-year-old of the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and he produced outstanding performances to win both the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on March 7 and the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21, but the son of Medaglia D’Oro has been easy in the San Domenico Stakes betting markets after opening at a quote of $2.60.
A number of racing experts have expressed concerns that 1100 metres is too short for Vancouver and the fact that he has to carry 60 kilograms, but Waterhouse is not worried about either factor and she is extremely confident that the three-year-old will win the San Domenico Stakes.
“He is an outstanding individual and I don’t think there is a better horse in Australia,” Waterhouse told Sky Racing HQ.
“He will just be too good for them.
“Yes it is 1100 metres and yes he does have top weight, but I can’t see why he won’t do this with his eyes shut.
“He can be wherever you want him to be – he can be up on the lead, he can come from behind and he can wide like he did in the Slipper.
“I wouldn’t worry and I would just back him.”
The Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) was expected to be the major 2015 Spring Racing Carnival target for Vancouver, but Waterhouse is yet to commit to setting the colt for the Australasian Weight-For-Age Championship and she said that the horse will tell her whether he is capable of running out a strong 2040 metres at Moonee Valley on October 24.
“I don’t really know,” Waterhouse said when asked about Vancouver’s major spring goal.
“You would think from his sire and what he did in the autumn that he would run a distance like the 2000 metres of the Cox Plate, but he will tell us.
“I have so much belief in the horse that I think whatever he ran in he would win it.”
Vancouver is currently available at 2015 San Domenico Stakes odds of $2.60 with Ladbrokes and remains a clear favourite from Chris Waller-trained Japonisme ($4.80), impressive trialer Redzel ($4.80), Godolphin-owned Haptic ($8) and Gerald Ryan-trained King’s Troop ($8).
