Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have dominated the first official two-year-old trials of the new season, winning six of the nine heats on the day, with the progeny of first-season sires Home Affairs and Stay Inside to the fore.

Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse
Youngsters from the stable of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have dominated Sydney's first two-year-old barrier trials for the new season at Randwick. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

Home Affairs made an emphatic start with Waterhouse-Bott-trained members of his first crop winning the first two trials, the colt I’m Ya Huckleberry and the filly, Home Invasion.

I’m Ya Huckleberry, a $400,000 Magic Millions buy, dominated on speed to win by 2.4 lengths in a time of 49.54s for the 850 metres.

“We've been able to break him in nice and early and really have that education and a few preparations through the stable,” Bott said.

“He's had a really good grounding coming here today, but he's always put his hand up to be an early contender.”

Kia Ora sold the colt as a yearling but retained a share in him along with the Throsby family, in whose colours he raced. His dam, Key, is an Exceed And Excel granddaughter of multiple Group 1 winner Princess Coup.

Soon after, the Darby Racing-own Home Affairs filly Home Invasion put on a similarly strong all-the-way trial performance, winning by 1.9 lengths, but posted time over a second slower (50.63) than I’m Ya Huckleberry.

Bott said the stable has been impressed with what they had seen from the first progeny of Home Affairs.

“They are just very natural, early running types and physically have a lot of strength and substance to them. So, I think that'll take them a long way,” he said.

Golden Slipper-winning Newgate sire Stay Inside secured his share of the early trial spotlight when another Waterhouse-Bott juvenile Eviction Notice dominated his heat, winning by nearly eight lengths in 49.53s.

Tim Clark took Eviction Notice, who is out of American-bred Street Boss mare Euroboss, straight to the lead and he got further in front with every stride to stamp himself as the benchmark colt ahead of the Breeders’ Plate on October 4.

He is a $375,000 colt purchased by his trainer and Kestrel Thoroughbreds at the Magic Millions.

Bott said the progeny of Stay Inside have made strong impressions, building up to the first trials.

“We've got three trialling here today. I think that's a very good indication in itself. I think we might have upwards of 10 in the stable, but they've all been fantastic attitudes to deal with,” he said.

“And you've seen them here today, their constitution, their professionalism, it's been very easy to deal with.” 

But the fastest time of the morning, 49.46s, came from the Waterhouse-Bott-trained filly Shiki late in the session. She is now likely to be a clear favourite for the Gimcrack Stakes, also on October 4.

Shiki, a daughter of Too Darn Hot and Exceed And Excel mare Jest Excel, was purchased for $420,000 at Magic Millions by her trainers, Kestrel Thoroughbreds and Kurrinda Bloodstock, in whose colours she races.

Waterhouse-Bott also quinealled the fifth heat, the third for the colts, when the James Harron-owned Farnan colt Knightsbridge nosed out Stay Inside’s Our Emperor. That heat was run in 50.22s.

Knightsbridge is a half-brother to Group winner Semana, whom Harron and Tony Fung paid $750,000 for at Magic Millions.

The final heat went to another representative from Tulloch Lodge, the Hellbent colt Revengeance, who fought back strongly after being headed to win in 50.38s.

He was a $100,000 Inglis Classic Sale purchase for Darby Racing, who quinealled the heat with the Bjorn Baker-trained Artaneous placed second. 

Mitchell and Desiree Kearney made an impression at the Inglis Classic Sale this year and the Yes Yes Yes filly they purchased $240,000, Oh Yes She Did, made an excellent first impression with a win in heat four in 50.58s.

A few heats later, Iambubb, a $270,000 Classic purchase for the Kearneys and their major clients Daniel and Jasmine Springfield, won his heat in a time of 50.57s.  

Both Oh Yes She Did and Iambubb are also headed to the first two-year-old stakes races of the season at Randwick in less than a fortnight.

The second fastest fillies’ trial was taken out by the Bjorn Baker-trained Masvingo, who won her heat in 50.23s.

The $580,000 daughter of Zoustar races in the colours of Cunningham Thoroughbreds and was strong late in her trial, winning by 1.4 lengths.

Breeding and BloodstockNews