Golden Gift winner Shangri La Express is among the first of Tulloch Lodge’s elite band of two-year-olds to step out at the barrier trials as he prepares for an early spring return.
With the first stakes race of the new season less than three weeks away, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are among the major stables beginning to unveil their carnival talent, Shangri La Express stepping out for his first trial of the campaign at Randwick last Friday.
The youngster outsped his rivals in the 740m heat with Bott saying the Todman Stakes placegetter had returned earlier than a few of their other rising three-year-olds as he went straight to the paddock after finishing down the track in the Golden Slipper.
“I thought he was great and he’s come back well,” Bott said.
“He will have another trial and he’s on target to resume in the Rosebud.
“He went out after the Slipper, we made that call relatively quickly. We could have potentially pushed on, but we allowed him to reset with enough time to come back and get an earlier run on the board.”
The Listed The Rosebud (1100m) is on August 17, a week after the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) which ushers in black-type racing for the new Sydney season.
Waterhouse and Bott will also have some interesting horses trialling at Rosehill on Tuesday including Group 1 Surround Stakes winner Tropical Squall and untapped stayer Eliyass.
Tropical Squall, who hasn’t raced since finishing sixth to Zougotcha in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes, is scheduled to resume in the first major of the Sydney season on August 31.
“At this stage, the aim is to try to get her through to the Winx (Stakes) first-up,” Bott said.
Import Eliyass put his rivals to the sword to win the Lord Mayors Cup at his Australian debut and Bott is excited to see how far he can progress.
The five-year-old is scheduled to resume in the Premier’s Cup (2000m) on the Winx Stakes undercard with a long-term view toward the Group 1 Metropolitan (2400m).
“He will need a couple of trials. His aim will be to come back in the Premier’s Cup at the end of August,” Bott said.
“He’s one of those untapped horses that has got a great racing record and is heading towards some nice handicaps. They profile up really well here.”