Gai Waterhouse | Gai Waterhouse News 58111 Playing By The Rules

Our Racing Manager, Emma Reeves, aids us with programming and identifies who she thinks is the best placed horse each weekend. 

Storm Boy, Saturday 6th April, Royal Randwick, Race 6:

I am going on maternity leave in a couple of weeks so this will be my final Playing By The Rules for a few months, and therefore I’m hoping to go out with a bang via a Group 1 win. Ordinarily I would say stick with the proven horse as you just don’t fluke a Golden Slipper win, but I’m stepping outside of my own rule book. I wasn’t surprised by the result that day because Lady Of Camelot is just so fast and bombproof, so if you have a chink in the armour, she will find you out. With the way things played out in running, I thought Storm Boy’s effort was also top class, and that of a horse who will appreciate the slightly steadier tempo of a 1400 metre contest. James McDonald will be acutely aware of how this colt needs to be ridden and if the rain that’s forecast shows up, it’s going to be a real test of stamina for these young horses, blunting the turn of foot for the out and out speed horses. The track conditions and how they handle it is the real unknown, but I think people are too quick to write horses off and he did start very short priced favourite in a Golden Slipper so I’m sticking with him.