Gai Waterhouse might currently be sidelined herself with an injured right knee, but she still intends making an immediate statement at Victoria’s opening Group 1 meeting of the season early next month when she unleashes the likes of Alligator Blood and White Marlin.
Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, told Racing.com on Wednesday that the stable’s staying stars White Marlin and Goldman are due to arrive at her Flemington stables in the early hours of Thursday morning and will be soon joined by the stable’s weight-for-age star Alligator Blood.
“Alligator Blood will be down there soon as he’s going first-up in the Memsie (Stakes) on September 2 and White Marlin runs first-up that day as well in the Listed Heatherlie Handicap (1700m),” she said.
“We’ll also have The Instructor, who ran a great race last week (third in Rosebud) and had some very good two-year-old form, in the McNeil (Quality) on the same day.”
Waterhouse said it is planned for highly rated Melbourne Cup hope Goldman to wait a further week for his return in the G2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) at The Valley.
The Hall of Fame trainer said she has booked Tim Clark for White Marlin’s return and that Jordan Childs is booked to ride Goldman first-up but said such riding engagements for the time being are ‘a race-by-race arrangement.
White Marlin ran second in a Randwick trial on Tuesday and Goldman faded to finish fourth, but Waterhouse said she was delighted with both ahead of their pushes towards the Melbourne Cup.
“They are both very happy horses but very different horses,” she said. “White Marlin showed a great turn of foot in the trial and Goldman was a little more dour, but they are making their way very nicely.”
Waterhouse said she had planned to be in Melbourne this weekend but for a knee injury, where she injured a tendon.
“I was going one way and the knee went the other, but I’m resting it up to make sure it gets better so I can get down there,” she said.
She said Alligator Blood looms as the horse to beat in the $1 million G1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.
“He’s such a star and he continues to remind me so much of (late 1990s star) Juggler,” she said. “He’s almost identical to him in nearly every possible way. They are even very similar looking.”
Waterhouse confirmed $10m mare Alcohol Free is progressing well despite missing a trial last week.
“She’s going super but we’re not rushing things,” she said. “We’ve had another look at her program and connections are happy to take another week with her.”
– racing.com
