Gai Waterhouse’s growing list of two-year-old winners this season hit double figures at Canterbury on Wednesday with success in consecutive races.
Victory to odds-on favourite Rampaging in the Super Saver Plate (1250m) brought up the Waterhouse stable’s 10th individual juvenile winner for the season.
Debutante filly Valerio then added to the tally with a narrow victory in the Vinery Stud Handicap (1100m) a race later.
“Things couldn’t be going better,” Waterhouse’s stable representative Mark Newnham said.
Waterhouse’s pair of juvenile winners at Canterbury followed a stakes double at Warwick Farm on Saturday to Golden Slipper favourite Raceway and Magic Millions winner Driefontein.
No Looking Back will be out to continue the winning run when she lines up in this Saturday’s $1 million Blue Diamond Stakes in Melbourne.
She will be ridden in the Group One by stable rider Nash Rawiller, who was aboard both winning youngsters on Wednesday.
Rawiller needed to get Rampaging’s mind on the job prior to the turn by producing the whip but once he did, the $1.75 favourite responded.
He quickly moved up to hit the front at the 200 metre mark before going on to score by 1-3/4 lengths.
“He just sort of lost his rudder there 600 metres from home but when I put his mind on the job you could see he was a different horse and travelled up really well,” Rawiller said.
“He hit the front a bit soon and got a bit lost.
“He’s a horse with very good ability but to me he feels like he’ll be better as a three-year-old so whatever we get out of him at the moment is a bonus.”
Valerio ($4.80) also showed greenness at her debut but rallied late to deny the gallant Kristy Lee by a half-head.
“She got really lost mid-race, racing awkward in between horses, and you could see she was very lost on the home turn,” Rawiller said.
“She did a very good job I thought to pick up and win.”
Rawiller brought up a winning treble when the John O’Shea-trained filly Colorado Claire landed a big betting plunge to score by a length over Rose Pattern in the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1250m).
The meeting was also one to remember for 21-year-old apprentice John Kissick who scored aboard the Danny Williams-trained Court Connection at his first city ride.
AAP TURF
