Leading jockey Hugh Bowman maintained his perfect record on Gai Waterhouse-trained two-year-olds this season with a convincing victory aboard well-bred De Shamekh at Rosehill on Saturday.
De Shamekh ran up to his $1.75 favouritism as he controlled the Australian Turf Club Plate (1100m) from the front before sprinting clear to defeat Treaty ($7.50) by 3-1/4 lengths with another long neck to Party Rocker ($4.20) in third.
The promising colt brought up Bowman’s third win from as many rides on Waterhouse-trained juveniles this season after wins on No Looking Back and last week’s impressive debutant Raceway.
And while Bowman was impressed with De Shamekh’s Rosehill display and believes he has a nice future, the premiership leader was still singing the praises of last week’s four-length winner.
“This guy is a good horse, the other one (Raceway) is special,” Bowman said.
“Maybe Nash (Rawiller) might choose to ride this one and I can ride the other one.”
De Shamekh is out of former top mare Shamekha who Waterhouse-trained to win three Group One races and is now expected to be aimed at the autumn carnival.
Bowman said De Shamekh did what the Waterhouse team wanted to see coming off his debut second in the Inglis Nursery last month.
“When I asked him to stretch he quickened well and then when I gave him a little backhander what he did was lower and quicker again,” Bowman said.
“He’s got the makings of a nice horse and I think he will improve.”
Waterhouse was at the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions race day but stable representative Dave Meijer said the trainer would have been delighted to get a win on the board with De Shamekh, the stable’s sixth individual two-year-old winner in Sydney this season.
“He’s a stylish horse and it was terrific to see,” Meijer said.
“I know Gai will get a real kick out of that having trained the mother Shamekha.”
AAP TURF
