Gai Waterhouse, like her father Tommy Smith, has for a long time been a key player during the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
With training partner Adrian Bott domiciled in Sydney, it has allowed Waterhouse to become a more permanent fixture in Melbourne during the spring.
Waterhouse was at Flemington earlier in the week and plans to base herself in Melbourne after Sir Delius runs in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday through until the end of Melbourne Cup week.
With a Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup in the trophy cabinet, Waterhouse would love to join her father as a Cox Plate-winning trainer and ‘complete the set’.
Last year’s dream of winning the Cox Plate was cruelly taken from Waterhouse following a standing CT and PET scan in readiness for the Melbourne Cup which showed Sir Delius was at heightened risk of injury.
Sir Delius had won the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield and the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington and was considered one of the leading fancies for both races.
The entire returned in the autumn to win his ‘Grand Final’, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick, after placings in the Verry Elleegant Stakes and Ranvet Stakes.
It’s a similar program in Melbourne this spring, with Saturday’s 1600m contest to be followed by the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 3 and then the Cox Plate (2000m) three weeks later.
Waterhouse said to win the autumn ‘Grand Final’ was a marvellous feat.
“(Jockey) Craig (Williams), Adrian and I had discussed different ways of riding him and I can be a bit vocal about those things, but we got what we wanted,” Waterhouse said.
“It was the big prize that we were heading for.
“We live the dream and that’s why we come every year, so hopefully the dream will be the Cox Plate this year.
“It’s interesting that it is at Flemington this year. It will definitely suit this horse.”
Sir Delius has been in Melbourne a little over a week in preparation for Saturday’s return and Waterhouse said the entire was prepared to run well.
“He’s a happy horse and he’s pretty fit,” Waterhouse said.
“I think these are good races and they’re stepping stones to where you want to be.
“It (Saturday) is a Group 1 race worth a lot of money and a lot of prestige and he’s an entire and a Group 1 adds to his value as a stallion.
“I think it will be a hard race to win, but we’re in it, and will give it a shake.”
