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  • Waterhouse Hopes Yaletown will Break Drought

    Tuesday, 6th April 2021

    Gai Waterhouse might have 134 Group 1 wins to her name, but she has yet to train a Gr1 Australian Derby winner and is hoping Gr2 Tulloch Stakes winner Yaletown (Vancouver-Marianne, by Darci Brahma) will break the drought, reports racingnsw.com.au. "We've ticked off a few firsts for the partnership, a first Thousand Guineas and a first Oaks, so there's a couple on the resumé we really want to tick off and a Derby would be right up there," said co-trainer Adrian Bott. "We thought the Derby was going to come up too quick for Yaletown purely because of the lack of race experience. Hopefully he can be the horse, he's coming through the right form race into the Derby." The last four Derby winners have previously won the Tulloch Stakes. "It was great to see him respond when he was under pressure and I'm sure he'll continue to do that over a bit further," Bott said. "We really thought he'd excel stretching out to that trip (2000m) today, so it was good to see him tick that off. As I said, everything we've seen from him at home and in his career to date gave us the indication that he would (get further). Tim (Clark) was able to give him a lovely ride, he just got into a nice rhythm, a nice even tempo. He's probably not the most brilliant in terms of turn of foot but he'll keep giving for you all day." Yaletown won on debut in October over 1400m, then spelled before coming back this autumn where he ran second over 1400m, fourth in the Gr2 Phar Lap Stakes over 1500m, and then won the Gr2 Tulloch Stakes over 2000m. Yaletown was sold at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sales from the Kitchwin Hills draft for $320,000, and is the fourth stakes winner for his young sire Vancouver (Medaglia d'Oro-Skates, by Danehill) who Waterhouse trained to win the Golden Slipper. Yaletown is the second foal for his dam, who won the Listed MVRC Alexandra Stakes.