A promising two-year-old, Joint Venture, is now on track for early season three-year-old races following a significant victory at Rosehill.

The well-bred colt by I Am Invincible, acquired for $625,000 by the Newgate stallions syndicate, demonstrated considerable development from his initial placing at Wyong, proving his quality in Saturday’s Kia Ora Bloodlines to Headlines Handicap over 1200 metres.

Trainer Chris Waller indicated that Joint Venture is still in the learning stages, but this juvenile success will be a valuable asset to his record and provide a solid foundation for potential advancement in class.

“It’s also a good time of year to give a horse like him confidence,” Waller stated. “You can see how much he does wrong at the start and in the straight. You can’t get confidence if they’re in a tough race doing things wrong, but at this time of year they can.”

Waller intends to assess Joint Venture’s recovery from Saturday’s race, but if the horse continues to perform well, he will not hesitate to pit him against more experienced competitors in the coming weeks.

“You can take on the better three-year-olds with a bit of fitness, and you can be competitive,” Waller explained. “We’d be pushing on, I’d say. He won’t get over too far (in journey), too quickly, but we will concentrate over the next few weeks on getting his ring craft right. If we get that right, there is a lot of improvement to come.”

Joint Venture, piloted by Sam Clipperton, secured a three-quarters of a length victory over Gatineau, who maintained its effort after leading, with the favourite Seeiaye finishing third. Joint Venture offered odds of $8.50, with leading betting apps Australia returning $8.50.