Flying Houdini scores a brilliant win in Breeders Plate

Flying Houdini showed an impressive display of sustained speed to win the first juvenile race of the new season, the Group 3 $250,000 Breeders Plate (1000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Flying Houdini cost only $60,000 as a yearling but raced up to his good barrier trial form to comfortably defeat some of the colts with big pedigrees and price tags.

“Of all our two-year-olds coming here today, he has been the most natural all the way through,” Bott said.

“He has been thriving every single day of his preparation and we didn’t have an excuse not to bring him here today.

“You saw his attitude, he’s very determined, his ears went back and he was in for the fight.

“He has done it all very easily through the campaign and you saw today when he was challenged he found another length.”

Flying Houdini ($7), ridden by Regan Bayliss, led most of the way and easily defeated Capitano ($3.80) by one-and-a-quarter lengths with Nonu ($2.45 favourite) a length and a half away third.

Bayliss said Flying Houdini was typical of the famous Tulloch Lodge “bone and muscle”.

“He’s a streetfighter and I knew if I could find the front today, nothing would get past him,” Bayliss said.

“They’d come to him, but he just pins his ears back and goes right through the line.

“I came off the fence which is not ideal on a two-year-old because you lose your advantage coming off and being out there.

“But to his credit, once he straightened up and I switched the stick over, he really quickened well and his last hundred was the best part of his race.”

Flying Houdini gave Waterhouse a record ninth win in the Breeders Plate and Bott said the colt will be aimed at all the major two-year-old races later in the season.

“He is a nice value purchase by RedFox and full credit to them, they continue to buy these nice horses that perform on the big stage,” Bott said.

“The path has always been for our two-year-olds to get here today, that is a big job in itself, and he will go for a spell now.

“He’s a horse we can bring back early in the New Year, resume here in Sydney, then we can go to the Blue Diamond and then target the Golden Slipper.”

There have been eight Breeders Plate winners who trained on to win the Golden Slipper including the Waterhouse-trained colts Vancouver (2015), Pierro (2012) and Sebring (2008).

Capitalist (2016), Luskin Star (1977), Baguette (1970), Eskimo Prince (1964) and Sky High (1960) also completed the double.

In contrast, no filly has won the Gimcrack Stakes-Golden Slipper double since the latter was introduced in 1957.