Excited Gai has a Pinot party
IT’S the Group 1 event that Gai Waterhouse has targeted for more than two decades and yesterday the First Lady of Racing banked the $1 million VRC Oaks with fancied filly Pinot at Flemington.
The exciting daughter of Waterhouse’s former champion two-year-old Pierro outlasted her rivals to claim the 2500m Oaks ahead of Bring Me Roses ($31) and Hiyaam ($21).
Odds-on favourite Aloisia ($1.80) was a spent force halfway down the straight after being three and four wide early and over-racing in patches.
But jockey Stephen Baster, who has formed a formidable combination this spring with the Waterhouse-Adrian Bott stable, rated Pinot ($5.50) perfectly despite bombing the start.
“Absolutely unbelievable – she went up in the air from the gates and lost two lengths,” Baster said.
“But she switched off and relaxed, so I went to plan B and went around them.
“It went against everything I’ve been taught as a jockey, but we got an easy half mile and when they came, I knew we still had some gears left. “She’s just a deadset star.” Baster, 42, has ridden eight winners for the WaterhouseBott stable since Caulfield Guineas Day, including a double on Melbourne Cup Day.
“I’ve been riding for them for years but this year has just been unbelievable,” he said.
A beaming Waterhouse praised the veteran jockey after the race.
“I’ve never won it before. It’s so exciting, so exciting,” the 133-time Group 1-winning trainer said.
“Steve’s been such a blessing. We’ve had an association on and off over 20 years but he understands the way we train, he rides them the way we want them ridden.
“I just knew Steve would get her up there into a rhythm and I didn’t think the leader (Rimraam) could keep that speed up the whole way.”
Waterhouse and Bott have enjoyed tremendous success since joining forces last year with three Group 1s.
Aloisia had to be replated before the start of the race.
“She was quite worked up (before the race),” trainer Aaron Purcell said.
Earlier, Gold Coast-trained Time To Torque just missed a place in the Subzero Handicap for horses registered as grey.
Time To Torque finished fifth, just a length off the winner Tribal Wisdom.