By Brad Gray
There are a number of uncanny similarities between last year’s Flight Stakes winner Global Glamour and Pandemonium. Same training partnership, same racing style and have had an identical lead in, right down to missing the start in the Tea Rose Stakes.
Gai Waterhouse has won the Flight Stakes a staggering nine times already, only bettered by her father TJ Smith who won 13, and co-trainer Adrian Bott believes there is enough in Pandemonium’s favour to make it 10.
“Global Glamour had excuses all through her lead up to the Flight Stakes and we were always confident going through and the step up to the mile was exactly what she needed and is exactly what Pandemonium needs on Saturday,” Bott said.
“The drop back to 1400m wasn’t ideal to begin with and then when she missed the start, she overreacted in behind horses and they went slow in front. She just doesn’t have the turn of foot to sit back and quicken to get herself into the race. Everything went against her.”
Bott advised punters to forget the daughter of Sebring ever went around and if Joao Moreira can get her to muster quickly, Pandemonium will be high-balling out in front come her grand final on Saturday.
“Her asset is her cruising speed and over the mile she can sustain that,” Bott said.
“All going to plan, she’ll behave herself in the gates, jump cleanly and get into that nice rhythm that suits her.”
The stable will also take the covers off three two-year-olds with Santos to line up in the $150,000 Breeders’ Plate (1000m) while Bold Arial and Setsuna will take their place in the $150,000 Gimcrack Stakes (1000m).
“Santos is going great and we’re really happy with him. He is a nice style of colt going forward. He trailed impressively at Rosehill, really professionally, and has done really well since,” Bott said.
“It was always the plan to go to the trials at Rosehill to qualify him for the Breeders’ and give him that extra little bit of time going into the race. We’ve taken our time with him and I think that’s really worked in his favour.
“To look at you wouldn’t expect him to be a natural two year old but he is doing everything on raw ability and if that’s the case, I think we’re dealing with a really exciting horse.”
Bold Arial, who displayed brilliant acceleration in her trial, has already been supported in from $11 TAB Fixed Odds to $7.50 while Setsuna is rated a $26 chance.
“Bold Arial did everything right in her trial and is just a very straight forward filly. She popped in behind the speed, switched off and showed a really impressive turn of foot,” Bott said.
“She didn’t have that brilliant gate speed to be able to put herself in a position to lead but if she is able to do that on Saturday so be it but from an educational perspective, it was good to see her do that in the trial.
“Setsuna is a really sharp style of filly and she’ll be very competitive. At her trial she had to sit three wide and worked home better than anything so to do that takes a very professional filly. She looks like and out-and-out two-year-old.”
Check out the fields, form and replays for Royal Randwick on Saturday