Yardstick tackles the Up And Coming, which has been won by some of Australia's future star stallions such as Snitzel, Fastnet Rock and Exceed And Excel over the years, as the equal-least experienced runner, having debuted with a win at Canterbury last month.
The step from midweek maiden to black-type may be a big one, but at this time of the season, horses can make significant improvement, and having dominated with his on-pace win at his first start, Yardstick's connections feel he is ready to be tested at stakes level.
"We’ve known from the day we put a saddle on him that he was he a bit special," Dynamic Syndications' Dean Watt told TDN AusNZ.
"We’ve known from the day we put a saddle on him that he was he a bit special." - Dean Watt
"We didn’t get to race him earlier in his 2-year-old season because he pulled up shinsore from his first trial, and we had to tip him out.
"But he's grown into his frame now. He trialled brilliantly first-up and before the second trial, which to the eye didn’t look as good, we tried something different and we got Nash to hold him up and conserve energy and sprint off the front, which he did and won, but Nash came back and said he was a much better horse allowed to roll.
"So we did that at his first race start and we saw that accordingly."
A rare find
Watt is particularly excited about Yardstick because of the rarity of his pedigree, being by Criterion (NZ), who endured fertility issues which significantly limited his number of foals.
The multiple Group 1 champion, who has subsequently been retired from stud duties, has only had three to the track, for two winners, Yardstick and Blaze A Trail, who is a dual winner for Matthew Vella.
It was that rarefied opportunity that intrigued Watt when he visited the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
"What is exciting about him is that he was one of only two colts available for the first crop of Criterion. He's a rare horse, and they won't make many others given Criterion's known issues with his fertility," he said.
"We wanted to buy one at the yearling sales, come hell or high water and there weren't that many available. He only had four or so yearlings go through in total that year.
"We wanted to buy one at the yearling sales, come hell or high water and there weren't that many available." - Dean Watt
"He was our pick, because to us, the way we do our genetic ratings, he was the best bred of them and when we saw him as a type, we knew we wanted him."
Watt saw off determined challenge from the colt's, and Criterion's, breeder Sir Owen Glenn's bloodstock agent Paul Moroney, to secure him from Newgate's draft for $160,000.
"He was the only Criterion in that crop that wasn't purchased by Sir Owen Glenn, and he was the underbidder on him," Watt said.
"Henry Field from Newgate, where he was raised, came over and said he was such a beautiful athlete who had impressed him all the way through. He asked to buy into him, which was a great recommendation."
Yardstick as a yearling
The ownership group was completed a few months later when Watt and Sir Owen ran into each other at the Randwick races.
"I could tell he wasn't happy to have missed out on this guy. After a bit of chat and another glass of champagne, Owen became an owner in this horse as well," he said.
"We sent him to Gai, because she trained the dam Exceliene, and so it made sense for her to train him."
Exceliene (Exceed And Excel) is a three-time winner out of a sister to French stakes-winner Victorian Order (GB) (Zaminder {USA}) as well as the dam of Domesday. It is also the extended family of international Group 1 winners Xaar (GB) and Senure (USA) (Nureyev {USA}).
"How good is he? Well I think he has the female pedigree to be something special. He has the physique to be something special and he's by a stallion who was an absolute out-and-out freak of a racehorse. What does that mean? We will find out after the race on Saturday," Watt said.
Hawkes colt shapes as a main threat
Watt is under no illusions about the quality of opposition Yardstick will tackle on Saturday, especially the highly rated Team Hawkes-trained colt North Pacific (Brazen Beau).
North Pacific
"I think he's very good. However, this was the race we picked out for the horse before he had even debuted. We knew that he would get in on the limit and at that stage, it was set to be held on the Kenso track, which would suit him very well.
"It's been changed to the course proper and the rail has been moved out, but he gets in very well with 53kg on his back. He'll be running along on the pace and North Pacific will meet him 3.5kgs worse and spot him a head start. Does that mean he won't sail on by? We will wait and see, but I would think our boy will be very competitive.
"This is our way of getting ourselves into the Golden Rose, if he is good enough. If he can win along the way, that’d be great, but whatever he does in the spring, he will be so much better in the autumn."
