Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will set their sights on landing back-to-back wins in the Golden Rose after emerging three-year-old Kibou scored a runaway victory in the Up And Coming Stakes.
The race had a dramatic twist prior to the start when favourite Conqueror was a late scratching at the barriers after he reared and became entangled in the adjacent stall.
In his absence, Kibou started a $3.50 top pick and made a one-act affair of the Group 3 race, going to the front for Regan Bayliss and kicking strongly in the straight to cruise to the line 2-1/4 lengths ahead of Golden Mile ($16) with another 3-1/2 lengths to Basquiat ($4.80) in third.
The Tulloch Lodge trainers captured the Golden Rose last year with In The Congo, who like Kibou came off a winter preparation to emerge as a spring carnival force.
Speaking from Caulfield where he was overseeing the return of Alligator Blood in the Memsie Stakes, Bott said the Group 1 Golden Rose was the immediate target for Kibou after Saturday’s performance.
“The most likely path to the Golden Rose is through the Ming Dynasty Quality,” Bott said.
“His two main targets are the Golden Rose and Spring Champion Stakes.”
Having just his fifth start, Kibou is still doing a few things wrong.
He has a high head carriage and was stargazing in the early part of the straight, but Bott was reassured by how quickly the gelding switched back into race mode.
“It’s not easy having to stay wide off the fence and race out there by himself, but he is showing improvement each time he races,” he said.
“If he can continue to do that each time, then he is going to be hard to beat in his races through the spring.”
Godolphin representative Darren Beadman felt Golden Mile performed admirably at what was just his second career start and first in Sydney, while jockey James Mcdonald said third placegetter Basquiat was doing his best work late.