Saturday, 14 January 2012: Gai Waterhouse warmed up for the Magic Millions Classic in style today with De Shamekh scoring a dominant win in the two-year-old Australian Turf Club Plate (1100m) at Rosehill.
 | Gai Waterhouse
Photo by Racing and Sports | |
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It was another devastating display of the Tulloch Lodge trainer's stranglehold on Australia's juvenile ranks this season, which could tighten further if favourite
Driefontein 
salutes in this afternoon's $2m feature on the Gold Coast.
Driefontein impressively won the BJ McLachlan Stakes (1200m) at Doomben last fortnight, while a week ago Waterhouse youngster
Raceway was all the rage after scorching home to win at Warwick Farm in the strongest display seen by a two-year-old this season.
Yesterday it was
De Shamekh 's turn to impress and he continued his stable's blistering form, leading all the way and stretching out to a 3.3L salute.
Peter Snowden's
Treaty pushed through on the rail for second after being vetted at the barriers pre-race for a laceration above his left eye while
Party Rocker ran third.
De Shamekh, a $675,000 purchase by Emirates Park at last year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, finished second on debut at Warwick Farm before Christmas but stable rep David Myers always expected the chestnut colt to improve today.
“He's a stylish horse, it was terrific to see and I know Gai will get a real kick out of that having trained the mother
Shamekha ,” Myers said.
“The other horse was probably a bit too sharp over the thousand the other day [at Warwick Farm].
“He worked the house down at Randwick last Saturday morning, we're really happy with his work, Gai's been really pleased with him.
“It's terrific to have a horse of this quality in the stable.”
The colt's mother Shamekha won three Group Ones for Waterhouse in a glittering career which netted the All Aged Stakes, the TJ Smith Stakes and a
Coolmore Classic . She earned connections almost $2m prizemoney.
“She wore her heart on her sleeve every start she had, exactly like this guy too,” Myers said.
“No hassles, no fuss, rolls the sleeves up and gets on with the job.”
De Shamekh's dominant win came at the expense of Grafton gelding
Curley Mac , who brought up the tail at his first effort in metropolitan grade.
The Vanessa McLennan trained youngster trialled brilliantly in the lead-up, but was luckless in the home straight after settling in third spot.
He raced greenly upon peeling to the outside, and was jammed out of the race when stuck behind
Frog Hollow and
Sigmund in the run for home.
