Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott got on the board on day one of the new racing season when Steel Strike won the National Jockeys Trust Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Dashing front-runner Felix Majestic appreciated the firmer track conditions and turned the race into a speed test opening up a four lengths margin on his chasing rivals led by Steel Strike.
Steel Strike runs down the brave Felix Majestic in a stirring battle at Rosehill 💪@gaiwaterhouse1 @darby_racing pic.twitter.com/Ta6YPBJlmr
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) August 1, 2026
Top jockey Tim Clark didn’t panic on Steel Strike but it took them almost the length of the Rosehill straight to reel in Felix Majestic and win a thriller.
“It was a great set-up for him today,” Bott said.
“Tim wanted to be aggressive early and put himself into the picture.
“We thought it would be a truly run race and I think he enjoyed having something to chase.
“He was usually the one creating the pace last preparation and that left him vulnerable late but it all fell into place for him today.”
Steel Strike ($8), raced by Scott Darby’s syndication business Darby Racing, only collared a very game Felix Majestic ($12) near the line to score by a half neck with Silvanito ($11) a half length away third.
Tarzing, the $2.70 favourite), was under pressure a long way out and only laboured into sixth position.
Clark celebrated his birthday with a winning double after his earlier success on Funshow to share riding honours with Zac Lloyd.
Steel Strike is a five-year-old by Exceedance and was having only his 10th career start, scoring his second win.
“I think this horse will be a very good buy for Darby Racing,” Bott said.”The plan is to just take Steel Strike through his grades and potentially get him out to 1600m.”
Waterhouse and Bott ended the 2025/26 season with 132 wins on all tracks and including 69 metropolitan wins to be second in the Sydney premiership behind Chris Waller on 183 wins, for stable earnings of nearly $18 million.
Their stand-out runner last season was Sir Delius, a three-time Group 1 winner of the Underwood Stakes, Turnbull Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Sir Delius is being readied for a spring campaign and impressed Bott with a very good second to Oh Diamond Lil (Autumn Glow third) in his Randwick barrier trial on Friday.
