Saturday, 6 October 2012:
Gai Waterhouse paid tribute to her late father TJ Smith after equalling his record of seven Epsom Handicaps with all-the-way winner Fat Al.
The famous Randwick mile held on the racecourse which was Waterhouse's childhood playground, was held in gloomy conditions on Saturday but nothing could dim the smile on the trainer's face.
"It's mind boggling," Waterhouse said about equalling her father's record, something she is getting used to.
"You never think you are going to do it.
"If it wasn't for Dad I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing."
What she is doing is training racehorses - and her jockeys - with Epsom winner Tommy Berry acknowledging a stiff talking to from the trainer.
"She gave me a talking to and it worked," he said.
"I have come a long way since I've been at the stable and it's great to win for Gai."
Among Fat Al's owners are Waterhouse's daughter Kate and her husband Luke Ricketson who were on hand to see Berry take favourite Fat Al ($4.60) to the lead out of the barriers.
Under hard riding, Fat Al denied Ambidexter by a head with Rolling Pin ($41) another 1-1/2 lengths third.
Topweight Shoot Out ($6) was the best of premier trainer Chris Waller's trio, finishing seventh with Said Com ($17) 11th and Rangirangdoo ($12) 12th.
Waterhouse said Fat Al had been appropriately named as a young horse but had blossomed as he got older.
"He was a roly poly horse when he started and two years later he is here winning an Epsom," she said.
"I'm privileged to train him."
Berry said he had been caught by surprise by how close Ambidexter got to him.
"I knew Rolling Pin was there but Ambidexter caught me by surprise," he said.
"He got to me but I don't think he got past me."
Last year's winner Secret Admirer made ground late to finish fifth, 2-1/4 lengths from the winner.
She carried 54kg compared to the three placegetters who all had 52kg, which her jockey James McDonald said was a telling factor.
"She ran home really strongly but it was just too big a task to give away the weight to those four-year-olds," he said.
Berry's twin brother Nathan was on another of the Waterhouse runners, Kontiki Park, who trailed the 15-horse field while stablemate Wild And Proud finished 10th.
Apprentice Chad Schofield, who replaced an ailing Christian Reith on the Gwenda Markwell-trained Rolling Pin, was fined $200 for overuse of the whip.
Reith was stood down earlier in the day after fainting having wasted during the week to make the 52kg.
Check out our
FREE full form, ratings for meetings in nine countries each and every day.
 | | Posted by bkmac, on 18-10-2012 10:59:59 AM
i thought buffering was worth a mention becuase in being fair i was labelling the big hcps and ths stradbroke is undoubtedly one of them. The whole argment seemed to start that chay suggested trainers had no idea putting these runners in hcps with big weights. Even though he idnt win id say most onnections would be happy running 2nd in a stradbroke, we may not be able to be as picky as you. All though im not sure how you can be given the tips you put up. Probably the worst tips consisitently and mind boggling to boot i have ever seen. ”
|
|
| | Posted by bk, on 18-10-2012 10:37:53 AM
i didnt think he could win i backed ambidexter, becuase i was worried about where he would land and the likely tempo. No skin off my nose if you cant figure out why that race panned out the way it did. And if you cant see a correlation between the doncaster and epsom then maybe you shouldnt be the one calling people dumb. ”
|
|
| | Posted by chay, on 16-10-2012 8:04:19 PM
Just forget it, change the subject.
I was standing at the bus stop today thinking about the possibles in the CC and if you go on the result in the Epsom and the toorak the trend is for a lightweight to get up so as much as I''d like Dunaden or Americain to win they would be winning against trend but outstanding horses can do that. So it''s a dillema - do you stick with class or look down lower? The result will be very interesting. ”
|
|
| | Posted by ratings1, on 16-10-2012 2:52:13 PM
dumb comment bkmac...we were talking about the Epsom,I thought.
But seeing as you mentioned Shoot Out and More Joyous...last year SO carried 4.5kgs over the limit and could not win...what make you think that he can win this year with 6kgs over the limit.More Joyous was fairly weighted with 5.5kgs over the limit last year.
You won part of the argument with Black Caviar and Hay List---WOW
Thanks for reminding me that Buffering DID NOT win the Stradbroke with 6.5kgs over the limit,but if you backed him to finish second only,well congratulations. ”
|
|
| | Posted by bkmac, on 16-10-2012 11:30:27 AM
ahh chay, nice one, shoout out runs 2nd to more joyous in the doncater randiwck mile beaten less then a length as 2nd top weight and she was top weight, same track same distance and same hcp conditions except for more prize money and the top 2 in the weights quinella the race and you are saying to ratings negative 1 excatly, you 2 deserve each other. ”
|
|
| | Posted by chay, on 16-10-2012 10:00:58 AM
Exactly! and thank you. Which goes back to my original point - Shoot Out should not have run in the Epsom - a handicap! He should have been kept for the Caulfield Stakes, a dozen winners of which have come from either the George Main or the Underwood in the last 20 years. Then, from the Caulfied Stakes into the Cox Plate. That is a winning preparation. ”
|
|
| | Posted by bkmac, on 16-10-2012 10:11:40 AM
the results do speak for themsleves, go back and look at the major hcp''s for the calendar year, over the past year newmarket top weight hay list last years newmarket top weight black caviar doncater top 2 top weights quinelled the race more joyous and shoot out yeah shoot out , pretty funny randwick mile hcp ? sound familair. stradbroke mid summer music 53.5 2nd top weight buffering. So yeah I cant srgue with you the results do speak for themsleves, thanks for arguing for me. ”
|
|
| | Posted by ratings1, on 15-10-2012 7:37:55 PM
The result speaks for itself. ”
|
|
| | Posted by bkmac, on 15-10-2012 11:45:14 AM
you have no idea obviously, shoot out had won 4 group 1''s multiple placings at group 1 level, fat al hadnt even won a group 2 let alone a group 1. How much weight would it have been giving fal and co on the minumum in the old days ? ”
|
|
| | Posted by ratings1, on 14-10-2012 11:00:15 AM
I know you are joking bkmac.These 2 horses had to give 5.5-6 kgs to some fairly handy horses.They had NO chance of winning.Like More Joyous yesterday. ”
|
|
| | Posted by bkmac, on 14-10-2012 7:40:46 AM
this is laughable, you do know that shoot out and rangirandoo were well in at the weights don you ? Since the weight scale changed and they dont have to give away as much weight as in the past. many of the big handicaps have been won by horses high up the weights since then. So maybe have a look into all that from your couch ? Like i said that was all about tempo, ther sectionals fat al got away with in front made it impossible for anything to run om from the back. Basic mathematics. ”
|
|
| | Posted by chay, on 11-10-2012 2:37:59 PM
I''ve been training from the couch for years, mate but seriously, it''s just flamin common sense - you place them where they can show their best and with a bit of luck the win will follow. What you don''t do is set them an impossible task. You can''t be in this caper without a theory and an opinion! ”
|
|
| | Posted by phil_s_stine, on 11-10-2012 1:28:57 PM
So where to for Fat Al now? ”
|
|
| | Posted by phil_s_stine, on 11-10-2012 1:25:44 PM
So where does Fat Al go from here? ”
|
|
| | Posted by Mantank, on 9-10-2012 8:54:16 PM
At a stab, run third or fourth up in the Cox Plate. Not so sure what you''re in a tizzy about? ”
|
|
| | Posted by bkmac, on 9-10-2012 8:27:47 AM
that had nothing to do with weights and everything to do with the tempo ”
|
|
| | Posted by Anonymous, on 8-10-2012 1:06:49 PM
After a ball-breaking effort to win the George Main first-up, it was no great surprise to see Shoot Out turn in a flat performance in the Epsom, particularly, as you say, with weights against him. Fresh is clearly best with him. ”
|
|
| | Posted by mugpunter 48, on 8-10-2012 12:01:43 PM
And your training record is, chay? ”
|
|
| | Posted by ratings1, on 8-10-2012 11:52:11 AM
You are correct there chay...both Shoot Out and Rangirangdoo has no hope whatsoever of winning on Sat against the light weights. ”
|
|
| | Posted by chay, on 7-10-2012 7:07:44 PM
Waller has Shoot Out, a group 1 wfa horse in his prime and what does he do - he runs him in a handicap! I couldn''t believe my eyes when I read that''s what he planned to do with him after the GM win. And you know it''s a total screw-up because the first four home all carried 52 so he never had a goddam hope. Now, a month out from the Cox Plate, how''s he going to salvage the situation? This should have been his year!!! No wonder bloody Waterhouse runs rings round them. ”
|
|
