Tulloch Lodge trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are hoping history can repeat with well-bred filly Agarwood, who has all but earned herself a trip to Queensland with a stylish debut victory at Warwick Farm.
The two-year-old was a comprehensive 2-1/2 length winner of Wednesday’s Schweppes Plate (1000m), a race taken out by stablemate Clean Energy on the corresponding program 12 months ago.
The latter subsequently captured the Listed Bill Carter Stakes (1200m) at Doomben and Bott said they would look to follow a similar path with Agarwood.
“She (Clean Energy) went up to Queensland off the back of that and won a nice stakes race,” Bott said.
“That timing could work in with this filly. She’s got the ability to do so, we will look at the big picture and see where she fits in best.
“Maybe a trip away is the right thing to do. It will help her grow up and if she is to be a potential spring filly somewhere that will help.”
Ridden by Tim Clark, Agarwood started a $2.40 favourite and was strong to the line to defeat Penpel ($13) with Sylph ($4.60) another three-quarters of a length away third.
Bott hasn’t completely ruled out taking the winner to Scone for the Listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m) on Saturday week but says he is leaning towards giving her a longer break between her first and second run.
“Any valuable black-type we can get is of benefit but we want to do the right thing by her because I think there is plenty of upside,” he said.
“We have been patient to date. I like the way that, through the line, she opened up. Once she really got into stride she put them away late.”
Chris Waller also has his sights on a winter carnival campaign with juvenile Regulated Affair who proved too classy for his rivals in the opening race.
Like Agarwood, Regulated Affair is by Wootton Bassett and Waller is keen to give him an opportunity in the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31.
The colt was having his first run in almost six weeks on Wednesday and while the midweek assignment was only 1000m, Waller has no qualms stepping him up quickly in distance.
“We gave him a chance to catch his breath, there weren’t the right races around so we picked out this race and thought it would be a good stepping stone,” Waller said.
