Promising colt Startreusse will be set for an early season stakes mission as a three-year-old after maintaining his unbeaten record at Randwick on Saturday.
Trainer Chris Waller has pinpointed the Group Three San Domenico Stakes (1100m) on August 13 for the colt after he again showed his rivals a clean set of heels to win the Bates Bikes Handicap (1200m) at his second start.
The son of Starcraft, who raced in the famous cerise silks of the Ingham family for the first time, led all the way to defeat Strike The Stars by two lengths with another four lengths to Ima Secret in third place.
“I think we’ll put him in a nice race, teach him to settle a bit more and see where he is at because we can always come back after that,” Waller said of the free-running two-year-old.
“The San Domenico Stakes looks the ideal race for him. He’ll have a short break now and he’ll come back and be ready to go for that race.”
Waller said it was unlikely he would look to target the Group One Golden Rose over 1400m on his home track at Rosehill in September.
“I doubt it, he might have a bit too much speed,” the trainer said.
Startreusse made a winning debut at Canterbury in the same frontrunning style last month before he was purchased from BC3 Thoroughbreds by Bob Ingham.
“I don’t push horses to owners, and there were plenty of others that could have bought the horse, but for whatever reason I thought this horse would suit them,” Waller said of recommending Startreusse to the Inghams.
“They didn’t really have a sprinting colt and I thought he would complement the horses they already had.”
The leading trainer, who brought up his 96th Sydney winner for the season, praised the marketing strategy of BC3 Thoroughbreds.
“Full credit to the BC3 team, they do a great job, they set a price when they buy a horse (as a yearling) and it never changed,” he said.
“Before its trial it was the same, after its trial it was the same and again after his impressive first-up win it was the same.”
Startreusse was ridden by apprentice Jason Collett who said the colt wasn’t totally comfortable in the heavy going despite racing to his second win.
“I thought he would relish it but he didn’t get through it that great,” Collett said.
AAP TURF
