Gai Waterhouse has gone back to basics in a move that has delivered the desired results so far this season.
The champion trainer has already prepared 11 individual two-year-old winners and one of them, Pierro, will kick off his Golden Slipper campaign at Rosehill this Saturday in the Group Two Silver Slipper Stakes.
“I suppose I bought the horses that I really liked,” Waterhouse said when assessing the stable’s juvenile success this season.
“I went back to basics how I trained them when when I had the 40 two-year-old winners in a season about eight to ten years ago.
“We’ve done it before so I’ve just concentrated on getting the horses fitter and just getting back to basics. That’s probably the bottom line.”
Waterhouse won 41 races with two-year-olds during the 2002/03 season, the same season she claimed the fourth of her seven Sydney trainers’ premierships with 156 wins.
The three-time Golden Slipper-winning trainer can’t fault Pierro ahead of his return and said the Breeders’ Plate winner was one of her leading contenders for this year’s $3.5 million Slipper on April 7.
“It will be a wet track on Saturday but I’m really delighted with Pierro. He’s grown a lot and is a lovely big, strong colt,” Waterhouse said.
Pierro is on the fourth line of Golden Slipper betting with TAB Sportsbet at $11.
Blue Diamond winner Samaready heads the market at $4.40 ahead of Pierro’s stablemates Raceway ($6.50) and No Looking Back ($9) with another stablemate Driefontein at $13.
“He’s right up there with Raceway – he’s like him,” Waterhouse said of Pierro.
“There’s also No Looking Back and Driefontein, they are the four standouts in the stable a present.”
Pierro was installed the $2.80 favourite for the Silver Slipper with Waterhouse to get a great guide on the colt’s Slipper prospects against the likes of Gimcrack Stakes winner Hussousa ($4.20) and impressive spring debut winners Meidung ($7) and Faustus ($9).
“A lot of the horses that are trying to be there on Slipper day that are really serious horses are in this race on Saturday,” Waterhouse said.
“The Gimcrack Stakes winner (Hussousa) is in the race and John O’Shea’s horse (Faustus) is a serious horse. He beat Kuchinskaya on debut and Kuchinskaya has since won by about three lengths.”
Waterhouse also has Wild And Proud in the Group Two Hobartville Stakes (1400m), King Lionheart in the Listed Parramatta Cup (2000m), Nobby Snip in the Listed Fireball Quality (1100m) and three mares in the Group Three Millie Fox Stakes (1300m).
Multiple stakeswinner More Strawberries headlines the stable’s Millie Fox Stakes assault but Waterhouse doesn’t want it too wet for the mare first-up.
“She’s going great guns,” Waterhouse said.
“She’s being aimed at the Doncaster. If it’s very wet, she’s not as good in the wet so I’ll just have to play it by ear over the next 24 hours or so.”
AAP TURF
