Latest news with #AdrianBott
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
John Singleton's ‘delicate' filly Gerringong to rock Ipswich as Gai Waterhouse bids to win her own race
The party-style atmosphere on Ipswich Cup day may not be the ideal sweet spot for a 'delicate' filly but it is where John Singleton's youngster Gerringong can make a spring carnival statement. Larrikin owner Singleton has slashed his racing interests in recent years but thought enough of Gerringong to keep her to race, in partnership with some rugby league greats including Mick Cronin, Bob O'Reilly and Peter Wynn. The three-year-old filly is favourite for the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic (1200m) as Waterhouse tries to win the race named after her for the second time in six years. Gerringong has won two of her five career starts and what stands out on stalks is her effort in the $3m Sunlight 3YO slot race on the Sunshine Coast in January. She finished only four-and-a-half lengths off subsequent Group 1 winner Private Harry, with 2024 Golden Slipper champ Lady of Camelot the runner-up that night. 'The first and second horses in that race were two proper Group 1 horses and she wasn't too far off them, having a luckless run,' co-trainer Adrian Bott said. Private Harry takes out the Inaugural running of the TAB Sunlight! ðŸ'� @mmsnippets @SCTurfClub @ndoyleracing @AshMorgan6 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 4, 2025 • 'She was only having her third race start and also probably coming to the back end of her preparation. 'She did a remarkable job in that one campaign and she has shown improvement this time in. 'She is quite a delicate sort of horse but she has got plenty of natural talent. 'As she keeps getting deeper into her career and matures and becomes seasoned, hopefully we can see a nice progressive filly. 'She was showing promise in her early days so Singo was more than happy to hold onto her and some of the other partners (owners) he put into the horse were keen to race her as well.' • Warnie can honour cricket legend with consolation victory Gerringong has had two starts this campaign for two runner-up finishes, in the Listed Denise's Joy Stakes at Scone and the Listed Queensland Day Stakes at Eagle Farm. At Eagle Farm, she got well back and rattled to the line. From a wide barrier around the tricky Ipswich track, Bott is hoping the filly can be closer in the run and show she can be a spring carnival player. 'We should be able to give her a nice freshen up after this and find something in the spring for her,' Bott said. That was impressive! ðŸ'µâš° Gerringong sprouted wings late under @clarkyhk and wins on debut for @GaiWaterhouse1 + some rugby league legends! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 29, 2024 'Last start, she was a bit slow into stride when I thought she might have been a bit more forward in the run. 'She does have tactical speed, so she may have an opportunity to be a bit more forward at Ipswich to try to offset the barrier. 'This race used to be raced over 1350m and I wouldn't have minded if it still was. 'I think we could stretch this filly to 1400m-1600m going forward, but she will still be good at 1200(m) at this point.' Sydney jockey Regan Bayliss will have the job of working some magic with Gerringong from the wide barrier. Bayliss has a strong book of rides on Ipswich Cup day including Osmose for Waterhouse and Bott in the Ipswich Cup and Eye Liner Stakes favourite Warnie for Ciaron Maher.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Racing Confidential: Renaming Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes in honour of Gai Waterhouse would be fitting tribute to champion trainer
On the eve of the 20th running of the Listed $200,000 Gai Waterhouse Classic at Ipswich on Saturday, surely the time has come to consider naming a feature Sydney race in honour of the Hall of Fame trainer. Waterhouse, often referred to as 'Australian Racing Royalty', is hugely popular with the racing public, her fame transcends the sport and her record of racetrack achievement is extraordinary. So, why not rename the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes at Royal Randwick on Day 2 of The Championships the ' Gai Waterhouse Queen Of The Turf Stakes'? The race is run on Waterhouse's home track and over the famous 'mile' course where she has trained the winners of seven Doncaster Mile s, seven Epsom Handicap s, 11 Flight Stakes, five Champagne Stakes and four George Main Stakes. Similarly, all-time greats John Hawkes and the late Bart Cummings have feature races named after them interstate but not in Sydney where both trained for the bulk of their celebrated careers. Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, is after her second win in the Ipswich race named after her on Saturday with the John Singleton-owned Gerringong, the $2.70 favourite. She won the race previously with Ready To Prophet in 2019. The Hall of Fame trainer also has Osmose in the Listed $250,000 Ipswich Cup (2150m), a race she won with Bianca in 2008. At Royal Randwick, the Waterhouse-Bott stable has Bases Loaded among the main chances in the Listed $200,000 Civic Stakes (1400m). • M aher given keys to Leilani Lodge at Royal Randwick â– â– â– â– â– Two things missing from Sydney racing Regally bred Central Coast gets the job done at Canterbury, and that's the First 4 to @cwallerracing after he trained the Quinella in Race 1 at Doomben as well! ðŸ'° @aus_turf_club @coolmorestud — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 18, 2025 Sydney Saturday meetings will have an unusual feel to them in next two weeks with no two-year-old racing. Usually, Saturday racedays start with a juvenile opener but none have been programmed for Royal Randwick this weekend or for Rosehill Gardens on June 28. Instead, there was two races for two-year-olds at Canterbury last Wednesday – one for colts and geldings, the other for fillies – and that is also the case for Kensington on June 25. At the Canterbury midweeker, Coolmore's crack colt Central Coast, a $1.4m yearling purchase, scored an impressive when he led home a Chris Waller -trained 'first four' before the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Kakadu Sunset ran down Avenue Montaigne and $3 million filly Ernaux to win the fillies division. It would be preferable to have these high profile two-year-olds racing on a Saturday to generate interest during a low-key period of the season. â– â– â– â– â– Country flavour for midweek metro meetings? That's a sign for the boys! 🕰 Boys Night Out cruises to victory in the TAB Highway for @mattydunnracing and @Aaronbullock90! @aus_turf_club | @HsktBloodstock — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 Should TAB Highways be added to midweek metropolitan meetings? Even with the two juvenile races at Canterbury on Wednesday, there were only 60 starters across seven races, and only four with enough runners for each way betting. At Kensington a week earlier, there were only 50 starters on a six-race program. But TAB Highways invariably attract the biggest fields every Saturday and it could be worth trying them at midweek meetings to ensure there are at least seven races each Wednesday. â– â– â– â– â– Huge fields at Randwick on Saturday 🚨TAB Track Report 🚨 The latest at Royal Randwick ahead of Racing for Good Charity Raceday. @racing_nsw | @tabcomau | @SkyRacingAU | @7horseracing 🎟ï¸�Tickets: â›…ï¸� Weather Tracker: — Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) June 19, 2025 There are no issues with numbers for Royal Randwick on Saturday with 165 acceptors on the 10-race program with the smallest field size of 11 for the fourth annual 'Racing For Good' charity raceday. The Australian Turf Club Foundation joins with long-time charity partner ASX Refinitive Charity Foundation to raise funds and awareness for a range of charities. In the past three years, the 'Racing For Good' race days have raised more than $350,000 for charities that address specific needs within local communities including equine-assisted therapy, family support and educational services.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Trainer Ciaron Maher given keys to Leilani Lodge at Royal Randwick
Ciaron Maher, the nation's premier trainer, has been given the keys of famous Leilani Lodge at Royal Randwick. The Australian Turf Club board had a phone hook-up early on Thursday morning as some directors were overseas and determined Maher's application for the High Street stable complex had been successful. It is understood the board decided on Maher over the Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott training partnership. Maher is the nation's reigning premier trainer and with 279 wins on all tracks so far in the 2024-25 season, he is on track to retain the title. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! He will also win another Melbourne trainers premiership as his 98 wins so far this season has him well clear of Team Hayes on 64 wins. Maher has also trained the winners of 10 Group 1 races including The Everest (Bella Nipotina) and Caulfield Cup (Duke De Sessa) this season to be second only to Chris Waller (19 wins) for most Group 1 wins. With stable earnings of $57.2 million already this season, Maher has set a new national prizemoney record – with still more than a month of the season remaining. Maher's growing presence in Sydney racing has some suggesting he could one day challenge Waller's premiership dominance. We caught up with @cmaherracing at the incredible Bong Bong farm as he talks through Gringotts chances in The Star Doncaster Mile this Saturday ðŸ�†ðŸ�Ž — Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) April 3, 2025 • Leilani Lodge has been with the Cummings family for five decades until Anthony Cumming s was forced to vacate the stables when his trainer's licence was revoked by Racing NSW in early March after his business went into liquidation. Anthony's father, the legendary Bart Cummings, first moved into Leilani Lodge at Randwick in the early 1980s and won a Sydney trainers' premiership from those stables in 1989-90. An original Hall of Fame inductee, Bart Cummings prepared some of his greatest champions out of Leilani Lodge including Saintly, So You Think, Beau Zam, Shaftesbury Avenue, Sky Chase, Campaign King, Dane Ripper and many others.
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Sir Lucan defies odds to secure second Winter Cup
Sir Lucan staged racing's ultimate form reversal to achieve something no stayer has managed in more than 60 years at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Sir Lucan became the first horse since Royal Bark in 1962-63 to win successive Winter Cups (2400m). The only other horse to win two Winter Cups was Destiny's Kiss and those triumphs were six years apart – 2013 and 2019! Racenet iQ members get full access to our Pro Tips service, where Greg and our team of professional punters provide daily tips with fully transparent return on investment statistics. SUBSCRIBE NOW and start punting like a pro! But Sir Lucan was coming off a long last when resuming in the Lord Mayor's Cup two weeks ago although he was obviously a different horse second-up from a spell. Adam Hyeronimus, one of Sydney's in-form jockeys, has ridden Sir Lucan in both his Winter Cup wins and said to connections: 'Can you book me for the horse in this race next year!' Sir Lucan ($21) finished strongly to run down stablemate Bear On The Loose ($3 favourite) to win by three-quarters of a length with Hopeful ($31) a long neck away third. Hyeronimus rode a stalking race on Sir Lucan, not dissimilar to how he rode the gelding last year, tracking Bear On The Loose into the straight then seizing control of the Winter Cup near the line. 'It was a good win. I had to use him to get to the spot I wanted and I got there and after that it was just a matter of keeping him in a rhythm, keeping him relaxed,'' Hyeronimus said. 'He can sprint once he has a soft, economical run but he had to do it early and he's had to carry 57kg today in this race so he's done a good job and he was tough late.'' Waterhouse and Bott's stable representative Neil Paine declared: 'He loves the Winter Cup, Sir Lucan.'' 'It was a great ride from Adam Hyeronimus,' Paine said. • Star apprentice brings up century with first city treble 'Bear On The Loose is a horse you can't hold up, you have to let him run along. Young Zac Wadick rode him an absolute treat and it was good to see him fight out the finish. 'But Adam was right on his tail, knew exactly where he was going and got out at the right time. 'It's just great for Sir Lucan, I don't think he has won in between this year and last year. Where do we go from here? Let's just take this win today and see how we go.'' Sir Lucan was the second leg of a feature race staying double for Waterhouse and Bott after they prepared Campaldino to win the Group 2 Brisbane Cup at Eagle Farm. The big-race brace gives the trainers 35 Group or Listed wins this season equalling their previous best stakes haul set in 2023-24 – and there's still six weeks of the current season remaining. Monique and Adam Annetts are part-owners of Sir Lucan and are hoping the stayer's return to winning form is a sign of things. The couple flew to England last night to attend the famous Royal Ascot carnival and watch their sprinter, Storm Boy, contest the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Cup (1200m) next Saturday night. • Filly eases Portelli's pain after Kimochi retirement with Rosehill win 'We're very excited to win the Winter Cup again and the owners are flying over to London tonight,'' Paine said. 'Monique and Adam, they're jumping on a plane to go and see Storm Boy run next Saturday. If they were flying economy they will be flying first class now.' Storm Boy, formerly trained by Waterhouse and Bott, is now with Irish maestro Aidan O'Brien after Coolmore purchased a majority share in the colt. Sir Lucan was born and bred at Coolmore in Ireland and raised within sight of the life-size bronze statue of Sadler's Wells. That is more than fitting given the Tulloch Lodge stayer carries a 3x3 double cross of the stallion that has shaped the European and world thoroughbred scene for decades. On top of that, Sir Lucan is a third generation direct descendant of Urban Sea who almost single-handedly disproved the theory that 'champion mares never throw champions horses'. Urban Sea won Europe's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, then in the breeding barn produced four Group 1 winners including two great champion racehorses and stallions, Galileo and Sea The Stars. Galileo (2001) and Sea The Stars (2009) both won the English Derby, a feat that Sir Lucan's father Camelot (2012) also managed during his stellar racing career. Originally published as Imported stayer Sir Lucan achieves historic feat with back-to-back Winter Cup Victories at Rosehill
The Australian
13-06-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
2025 Winter Cup: Adrian Bott, Gai Waterhouse saddle up two
Bear On The Loose faces a stamina test and Sir Lucan is trying to snap a year-long losing streak. But trainer Adrian Bott has a quiet confidence in both imported geldings going into the Listed $200,000 Winter Cup (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. With co-trainer Gai Waterhouse in England trying to source their stable's next overseas equine recruits, Bott has kept famous Tulloch Lodge's winning momentum going in recent weeks. In fact, if Bear On The Loose or Sir Lucan can win the Winter Cup or the Waterhouse-Bott team has success at Eagle Farm, it will move the training partnership closer to a career-best season at Group and Listed level. There's less than two months of the 2024-25 season remaining but Waterhouse and Bott have already trained the winners of 33 stakes races and need just two more black type wins to equal their previous best return at feature race level they set last season. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! TAB Fixed Odds price assessors have Bear On The Loose early Winter Cup favourite at $3.60 with stablemate and defending champ Sir Lucan at $23. Bott also conceded Bear On The Loose was the stable's number one seed even though the five-year-old has never been out to 2400m in his 13 career starts. Bear On The Loose goes to the Winter Cup after three lead-up runs including a close second to Glory Daze over 2000m at Randwick last start. 'We feel he's racing well and the form out of his Randwick run is good,'' Bott said. 'He stuck on nicely that day on a very heavy track and the drier conditions (Rosehill is rated a soft 5) are going to be to his advantage.'' Bott said he expected Bear On The Loose to take up the frontrunning role. 'I think he is most likely to lead and hopefully he can roll along at his own tempo,'' Bott said. 'I'm confident he can run 2400m.'' • Archibald army turns up the heat in Winter Cup Sir Lucan has been winless since taking out the Winter Cup 12 months ago. But the seven-year-old returns to defend his 'title' and if successful will join Royal Bark (1962-63) as the only horses to win successive Winter Cups. The only other multiple Winter Cup winner was the remarkable Destiny's Kiss – but his wins were six years apart in 2013 and 2019. The former Joe Pride-trained stayer also ran second (2018) and third (2017) in the feature Rosehill staying race. Sir Lucan has only had the one start this campaign when he failed to beat a rival to the line in the Lord Mayor's Cup won by Touristic two weeks ago. Bott was cautiously optimistic about Sir Lucan's chances of staging the ultimate form reversal and going back-to-back in the Winter Cup. 'Sir Lucan got further back than expected first-up, he should improve again but is still working his way back to his peak,'' Bott said. 'He's worked well since and he's certainly capable of running well but Bear On The Loose is the stable's best chance.'' • Ray & Duff's best bets for Saturday: 'First-up run was hard to miss' Bott also has another import, Assailant, set to race competitively in the TAB Handicap (2000m). Assailant, by English super sire Dubawi, shaped promisingly at his Australian debut when third to Hell To Pay at Canterbury. 'It was a nice run from Assailant a couple of weeks ago and he's in great shape,'' Bott enthused. 'He should improve on a bigger track and more suitable distance. He's a young horse with a future.'' • EXPERT TIPS: Clinton Payne's race-by-race tips and analysis for Rosehill Gardens on Saturday Bott, who also has topweight Ganbare resuming in the Ranvet Handicap (1500m), said Waterhouse will attend England's famous Goffs Sale next Monday on the eve of the Royal Ascot carnival. 'We are going through the catalogue for the Goffs Sale next week,'' Bott said. 'Gai will be there and we have had some luck at that sale. Pornichet came from that sale, as did New Endeavour.'' Pornichet won the Group 1 Doomben Cup a decade ago and New Endeavour, a last start winner of the Lord Mayor's Cup, is one of the main chances in the Group 2 $1.2 million Q22 (2200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. 'New Endeavour won really well last start and has trained on nicely,'' Bott said. 'He is going to this distance for the first time but that win will give him confidence.'' The Waterhouse-Bott stable is also represented in both Group 1 races with The Instructor lining up in the $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) and Farnicle is in the $1 million JJ Atkins (1600m). • EXPERT TIPS: Graeme Carey's best bets, race-by-race tips, analysis for Stradbroke Day at Eagle Farm on Saturday The Instructor has won three of his four starts this campaign including the Listed Luskin Star Stakes at Scone a month ago. Bott said it has been a deliberate tactic to keep The Instructor on the fresh side for the Stradbroke. 'The Instructor is in good form, he's deep into his campaign but he's well in himself,'' Bott said. 'The plan was if he ran well at Scone then the option was to go to the Stradbroke and we have given him a trial between runs. 'He gets in with a lightweight (52kg) so there's plenty to like about him. Jett Stanley has won on the horse, he knows him well, and he can ride the weight.'' • Jett Hatton's Stradbroke Handicap tips, runner-by-runner form analysis Bott also made a strong case for Farnicle after the two-year-old's good second to Cool Archie in the BRC Sires Produce Stakes. 'Farnicle keeps improving every time he steps out,'' Bott said. 'He is out of a good New Zealand mare (Jennifer Ecles who won the 2020 NZ Oaks) so there is plenty to suggest he will stay the trip. I think he will be suited by the mile.'' • Jett Hatton's JJ Atkins tips, runner-by-runner form analysis The Waterhouse and Bott-trained Campaldino is aiming for a fourth consecutive win in the Group 2 $400,000 Brisbane Cup (3200m). 'Campaldino has had a good grounding for 3200m,'' Bott said. 'The way he has been relaxing and racing gives you the confidence he will see it out.''
