First impressions: Adrian Bott

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

When Bott teamed up with Gai Waterhouse at the age of 29, the legendary trainer was sitting on a record-equal six wins of the G1 Golden Slipper. In 2020, with the speedy Farnan, Gai surpassed her father Tommy Smith’s record, now alongside co-trainer Bott.

Success has continued along a similar vein for the stable, so when it comes to unearthing early 2-year-olds, the Waterhouse/Bott team certainly have the form.

Justify

At the 2022 yearling sales, the stable purchased a number of yearlings from the first crop of Coolmore’s Justify (USA), who shuttled to Australia for four seasons. During his time in Australia he garnered much attention and was supported with some excellent mares.

“He’s an interesting stallion to have stood down here, and very well-credentialled,” said Bott. “Coolmore and a number of other astute breeders threw some incredible support behind him with some top-class mares, so it was quite easy to find some nice prospects by Justify at the sales just on their breeding alone.”

The support from good mares meant his progeny weren’t cheap; they sold for an average of $300,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with the most expensive, at $900,000, selling to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott/Kestrel Thoroughbreds.

“He certainly threw some nice types that caught our attention,” said Bott. “I’m keen on the Scat Daddy sireline, so it’ll be very interesting to see how these perform going forward.”

The US Triple Crown winner never made it to the track as a 2-year-old himself but, according to Bott, his progeny are showing good signs of precocity, which he attributes to the speed requirement of the racing style in the US.

“Even though they stretch out over a bit of ground, speed is so important in their racing,” Bott said.

“Hopefully that speed element has been passed on to his progeny, at least that’s what we’ve seen from them so far.”

The $900,000 top lot for Justify was commanded by a filly from the dual Group 1 winner Global Glamour (Star Witness), whose first produce is the Zoustar colt Scientist, also in the Waterhouse/Bott stable.

“The pick of those Justifys for us would be the Global Glamour filly, who was the most expensive of our purchases,” said Bott. “She’s a real natural, athletic style of filly. I like everything I’ve seen of her from the outset – she picked things up very quickly and looks to be quite a forward-going filly. She’s been quite advanced in her preparations, and I like what we’re seeing.”

Bott reported that the filly has progressed as far as having a jump-out, and is due for a break soon so that she can be readied for a high-profile early target.

“She’ll be back in, potentially on a Magic Millions campaign. She’s certainly forward enough to be thinking that way anyway.”

Also purchased at Magic Millions' Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the Justify colt out of Black Mamba (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe {USA}) was another that Bott highlighted for the stallion. The colt was a $150,000 purchase from Evergreen Stud Farm, and, his dam, was a seven-time winner, including at elite-level, in the US.

An interesting career saw her exported from New Zealand to the US as a racehorse, before she returned to the Southern Hemisphere to breed in Australia. Although she has produced two winners so far, Bott is hopeful that the latest of racing prospects will fly the flag higher than that for his dam.

Gallery: Some of the Justify yearlings in training with Waterhouse and Bott, images courtesy of Magic Millions

“She hasn’t quite thrown anything of her calibre yet but maybe this is the right mating for her,” he said, adding: “Physically, the horse has done very well and again seems to be ticking all the right boxes on the way through.”

Having recently returned to the stable from a break, Bott reported that his development has been notable, and that they will find out more about the colt this time in.

“The Black Mamba has probably been the biggest improver. Certainly, physically he’s probably developed the most, which has been very encouraging to see.

“He’s just back in and we’ll put a bit more pressure on him in this preparation.”

The Autumn Sun

Standing at Arrowfield Stud, The Autumn Sun will also see his debut crop of 2-year-olds hitting the tracks this year. As a five-time Group 1 winner, he has also been well supported with top mares, and his progeny sold for up to $950,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Although the sire didn’t make his own racecourse debut until April of his 2-year-old year, he was unbeaten in three races that season, topped by his victory in the G1 JJ Atkins S. He was even better as a 3-year-old, and Bott said that this was reflected in slightly more scopey types that he saw at the sales.

“The Autumn Sun’s pedigree suggests they will improve at three and potentially have that scope to get over a bit of ground as well. That was certainly what we were looking for in a few of these purchases anyway.”

With the stallion passing on his good looks to his progeny, it certainly made it easier for trainers to leave them on their shortlists too.

“I did find he stamped them at the yearling sales, so it was quite easy to like them on type. We found a significant number of his progeny on our shortlists at the sales.

And, despite that they are expected to improve as they progress into their Classic year, Bott reported that they’ve shown some natural precocity in their training so far.

“They are nice, naturally athletic horses, and they’ve picked everything up quite naturally in the early part of their education,” he said.

“Whether that translates into them being early 2-year-olds or not… it certainly gives them a head start and it’s good to see those positive signs early.”

One that certainly inherited his sire’s physique is the striking chestnut colt out of Flidais (Timber Country {USA}). He was bought by Dynamic Syndications/Dean Watt Bloodstock for $200,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

He may be a bargain at that price as he is incredibly well bred, being a half-brother to both the Group 1 winner Sweet Idea (Snitzel), who was also trained in the stable, and Showtime.

“He’s a nice style of colt, from a good family, one who we’ve had great success with as he’s a half-brother to Sweet Idea,” said Bott.

Sweet Idea was a top 2-year-old, winning the G2 Silver Slipper and running third in the G1 Golden Slipper, though her latest 2-year-old progeny may take a little more time than his dam did.

“She was a top-class 2-year-old. He’s probably not as forward as she was, probably more of a later 2-year-old but he’s a nice style of horse.”

From the same sale, and no less striking on type, is the colt out of Bollywood (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}). His dam was only placed in Japan, but the pedigree is littered with stakes winners and he was a $475,000 buy for his trainers.

“He’s probably quite a forward colt, he was a Magic Millions purchased and he’s certainly been one of the more forward types that we’ve had through.”

Written By

As a winner of the G1 Blue Diamond S., one might expect that the progeny of Written By to show themselves as early types, and Bott confirmed that to be the case from what he’s seen.

He picked out two colts by the stallion, the first out of the unraced Redoute’s Choice mare Heriz, dam of the dual Group 3 winner Jamaican Rain (Manhattan Rain). The colt was a $380,000 purchase for China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock/Trilogy Racing.

Gallery: Some of the Written By yearlings in training with Waterhouse and Bott, images courtesy of Magic Millions

“…he’s a lovely style of horse,” reported Bott. “He’s an imposing colt, very athletic and covers the ground really well. I think he’ll be a 2-year-old type; he may not be a Magic Millions type but he’s certainly a lovely style of horse.”

Considered a slightly earlier type, Bott also mentioned the first foal from Sunlit (Snitzel), who was a $110,000 purchase for Tricolours Racing in conjunction with the stable.

“He looks an early 2-year-old type, a real jump-and-run sort of horse,” said Bott.

Trapeze Artist

Another stallion who had an abundance of speed during his racing career is Trapeze Artist, and Bott noted that the stable might have ended up with more of his progeny from the sales, had other buyers not seen them in the same light.

“I liked the Trapeze Artists as a whole, there were plenty of nice types that we weren’t able to secure. I wouldn’t mind having a greater representation of them through the stable but I feel we’ve got a very nice one in the one James Harron selected.”

That selection is the colt out of Smokin’ Alice (USA) (Smoke Glacken {USA}), which makes him a half-brother to the top performer Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock), picked up for $380,000 at Inglis Easter.

“He’s from a nice family, he’s a nice, tough strong colt. He seems a forward-going type,” said Bott.

Bonus year for first-season sires

This year has been an unprecedented one for extraordinary bonuses aimed at first-season sires; the owner of Trapeze Artist, Bert Vieira, has offered $500,000 to the owners of the first Group 1-winning 2-year-old by his sire, and Coolmore are offering a Ferrari to the owners of the first Justify foal to win a selected feature race.

When the bonuses were raised with Bott, he laughed: “The money or the Ferrari – you’d take either.”