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By Ray Hickson

Tulloch Lodge already appears to hold the Golden Slipper aces with unbeaten colts Storm Boy and Shangri La Express but Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are looking to bolster their support crew at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Adrian Bott. (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Waterhouse has won the Group 3 $250,000 Arrowfield Canonbury Stakes (1100m) a staggering nine times, including last year in partnership with Adrian Bott, and the Group 3 $250,000 Widden Stakes (1100m) six times – the latest 11 years ago with Golden Slipper winner Overreach.

So far the partnership has prepared nine individual winners of 12 two-year-old races this season and Adrian Bott said the stable has high hopes for the likes of Prost, Excelindeed, Lady Of Camelot and Alinea who step out at Rosehill.

“We’ve got some depth, obviously there’s a while to go and plenty of racing to happen,” Bott said.

“There’s plenty of other horse to come into the frame but I’m happy with the horses we’ve got and the paths that they are on and hopefully they can give us a good representation in the Slipper.”

Prost, $2.50 with TAB on Thursday, made his debut in the Breeders’ Plate back in September and ran third to stablemates Espionage and Straight Charge.

Bott said he’s likely to be the stable’s only Canonbury runner, with Excelindeed also engaged at Canterbury on Friday night, and says he’s had a good grounding for a big first-up run with two trial wins.

He ran down Shangri La Express to win the latest and accounted for midweek winner Getafix in his first.

“He was made to find the line there and we made sure he had a good hitout going into the race,’’ Bott said.

“He’s still a bit new and still learning but I think he’s trialled around the right horses and now it’s his turn to put his hand up. He’s going in there nice and forward and looks ready to roll.”

In the Breeders’, Prost settled near the tail of the field after not being well served at the start but from gate one Bott is forecasting a different scenario.

“I’d like to think that with the draw he’s got and the small field it’s an opportunity for him to hold a more forward position than what we saw last time,’’ he said.

“He got a bit of a squeeze in the Breeders and it just meant he raced further back than what we would have hoped but he was strong through the line.”

Excelindeed beat stablemate and recent Saturday winner Fully Lit in his first trial and Bott said while he wouldn’t be out of place in the Canonbury he is well suited to Friday night’s maiden as a starting point.

“It’s not easy for them to go into a race like this on debut giving away race experience, not just to a horse like Prost but there’s plenty of other talented horses that have raced well and are seasoned,’’ he said.

“He’s shown natural ability in his trials. We’ve been patient with him and given him a bit more time, he’s one that’s going to benefit from racing.”

Fillies Lady Of Camelot and Alinea made their debuts on the same day as Prost, running fourth and fifth respectively in the Gimcrack Stakes and Bott said there’s not a lot between the duo heading into the Widden.

They have both won two trials, on January 9 at Canterbury and 22 at Randwick, over similar distances by comfortable margins.

Prost wins a Randwick trial on January 22

“They deserve their opportunity, they’ve both run time and had similar types of preparation and lead ups,’’ Bott said.

“Alinea was strong late in the Gimcrack, she’s putting it all together and seems a lot more forward and switched on this preparation. I think we can expect a lot of improvement in that regard.

“Lady Of Camelot has got the sharpness and plenty of natural speed about her, she’s come back stronger this preparation.

“She didn’t have much luck in the Gimcrack and hopefully she can turn that around.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting