The decision not to push deeper into the autumn with Gatsby’s has paid an immediate dividend with the colt stamping his class to record a slashing first-up win in the Rosebud.
The son of Snitzel was an impressive victor on debut in February but wasn’t quite up to the more precocious members of his generation when finishing fourth in the Pago Pago Stakes (1200m).
Trainer Chris Waller spelled him, and while admitting he sometimes second guessed his conservative approach with juveniles, seeing Gatsby’s explode clear of his Rosebud (1100m) rivals on Saturday was some vindication.
“I always second guess myself midway through the two-year-old season, am I doing the right thing? Can I push this horse harder? It gets to you after a while,” Waller said.
“But when you start a new season at three and you hit the ground running, it’s actually a bit of a relief.
“We do make sacrifices with our horses at two, but we get repaid most years.”
Ridden by James Mcdonald, Gatsby’s ($4.20) drifted back in the field from an awkward draw but once he balanced for home, he let rip.
The three-year-old sailed down the outside to score with his ears pricked, Clear Proof ($19) running home well to finish 1-3/4 lengths behind the winner, with High Octane ($6) also finding the line, another short neck away third.
While Gatsby’s didn’t get far into the autumn, Waller feels that two-start experience has been the making of him.
“With the owners’ support, we backed off and didn’t get too caught up in the carnival. We tested the water though, and it has made a man out of him,” he said.
“He has come back bigger, stronger and better.
“The plan (on Saturday) was to go forward but you could see there was no gap there for us, so James came back.
“Not many horses, over 1100 metres, can have a Plan B. Once they’ve charged and fired, they’re set, but he’s not.
“He’s got a brain and he really relaxes and works with you, and I think that will be his biggest asset.”
Waller isn’t set on a specific target for Gatsby’s this spring, but the horse is likely to be given his chance in next month’s Run To The Rose (1200m), a traditional Golden Rose (1400m) lead-up.
McDonald wasn’t surprised to see Gatsby’s put the Rosebud field away, saying the colt has been showing all the right signs at trackwork.
“No, he has shown heaps at home,” McDonald said.
“It might have been a blessing, that lethargic run in the Pago Pago, because he was only getting there on sheer ability.
“He was a really light sort of colt but now, he has really furnished and he’s so adaptable, wet or dry, forward, back.”
John Thompson was pleased with the performance of underrated colt Clear Proof and said he was likely to have his next start in the Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill in two weeks with the Golden Rose (1400m) his goal.