With seven of the top 10 leading contenders for this year’s G1 Golden Slipper, the talk of the town in the juvenile training ranks is all about Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott maintain a current winning strike rate of 22 per cent.
The stable has trained 18 juvenile winners this season at a winning strike rate of over 32 per cent.
The Waterhouse and Bott partnership accounts for the winners of 30 per cent of the eastern states juvenile feature events this season.
The partnership has trained eight per cent of all stakes winners Australia wide in season 2023/24.
The Waterhouse and Bott partnership were involved in the purchase of 50 per cent of its stakes winners this season.
While they certainly have a firm stranglehold on the 2-year-old ranks this season, the fact that their juveniles only account for 33 per cent of their total stakes winners is a scary realisation of the partnership’s all-round training dominance. Currently placed third on the Australian General Trainers' Premiership, the stable is maintaining an overall winning strike rate of almost 22 per cent and almost 11 per cent stakes winners to runners at the half-way mark of the 2023/24 racing season.
| 2023/24 | 3 | 119 | 552 | 22% | $21,647,990 |
| 2022/23 | 7 | 160 | 778 | 21% | $20,479,370 |
| 2021/22 | 4 | 159 | 849 | 19% | $15,326,293 |
| 2020/21 | 10 | 137 | 717 | 19% | $10,420,553 |
| 2019/20 | 9 | 140 | 852 | 16% | $11,325,371 |
Table: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott performance 2019 - 2024
Training 119 winners for the season this far has the Waterhouse and Bott team well on track to record their best season since joining forces in 2016. Notching up their most successful stint last year with 160 winners, the partnership appear to be well on target to achieve their lofty target having already claimed 75 per cent of last season’s total winners at this early stage in the season.
Training an average of 17 winners per month as opposed to last year’s 13 per month without a significant uptick in total runners further highlights the stable’s remarkable season to date.
Operating out of their main stable at Randwick and satellite stables at Flemington, the dynamic partnership is managing an enviable winning strike rate of 22 per cent which has placed them in the leading division of Australian trainers. Five years ago, the duo were operating at a winning strike rate of 16 per cent. Since then, their average winning strike rate has increased six points and gained them their highest placing in the Australian Trainers' Premiership (third place) since joining forces.
| 2YO Feature Races | 34 | 10 | 29% |
| Total Feature Races | 209 | 28 | 13% |
Table: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott's feature race performance
Taking a glance at the partnership’s performance across Australia’s best races, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are enjoying an incredible season headlined by their remarkable group of juveniles.
Considering stakes races, R. Listed and invitational style races, the Waterhouse and Bott team have secured 28 feature winners which has them striking at an exceptional 13 per cent feature winners to runners.
While their overall feature-race winning strike rate is impressive, taking a look at their 2-year-old statistics reveals an ever-deeper layer of achievement. Represented by 10 juvenile feature winners at a winning strike rate of 29 per cent, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have further solidified their reputation as Australia’s leading campaigners of 2-year-olds.
Furthermore, over 55 per cent of the team’s juvenile feature race starters have achieved top three finishes which undoubtedly bodes well for the future value of their stock.
| Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 8 |
| Peter & Paul Snowden | 3 |
| Michael Freedman | 3 |
| Clindon McDonald | 3 |
| Matt Laurie | 2 |
| Ben, Will & JD Hayes | 2 |
Table: Leading 2-year-old stakes-winning trainers 2023/24
While their individual statistics emphasise the partnership’s incredible association with juveniles, taking a look at the overall 2-year-old feature races this season only further highlights the team’s sheer dominance in an incredibly competitive market. The Waterhouse and Bott team have claimed almost 30 per cent (eight) of the 29 juvenile stakes and R. Listed races held to date in the eastern states this racing season.
While the outright Golden Slipper favourite Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) has claimed three of those feature-race wins, the Waterhouse and Bott camp are represented by an additional five juvenile stakes winners including this year’s G1 Blue Diamond S. runner-up in Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon). Dominating the 2-year-old scene across the eastern states, the pair have been particularly strong in their home state of NSW having accounted for six of the 11 juvenile stakes events and all of the 2-year-old stakes events contested at Rosehill to date this season.
| Autumn Ballet | 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale | $340,000 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott / Kestrel Thoroughbreds |
| Military Mission | 2021 Goffs London Sale | $170,000 | Mckeever Bloodstock/Gai Waterhouse/Adrian Bott |
| Just Fine | 2022 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale | 300,000 gns | McKeever Bloodstock/Waterhouse Bott Racing |
| Alligator Blood | 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | $55,000 | Ezybonds No 1 Syndicate |
| Oz Empress | Homebred | ||
| Tropical Squall | 2021 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale | $16,000 | Gooree Park Stud Pty Ltd |
| Ganbare | 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale | $260,000 | Dodmark Thoroughbreds |
| Raf Attack | 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale | $150,000 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing / Chris Rutten Bloodstock |
| Amazonian Lass | 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | $325,000 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott/Kestrel Thoroughbreds |
| Kaizad | 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale | $390,000 | G Waterhouse / A Bott / Blueblood Thoroughbreds |
| Royal Tribute | 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | $500,000 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott/Kestrel Thoroughbreds |
| Espionage | 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | $1,000,000 | James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership |
| Storm Boy | 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | $460,000 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing/Kestrel Thoroughbreds |
| Prost | 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | $650,000 | Kia Ora Stud Pty Ltd/Tfi /Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing |
| Lady Of Camelot | Homebred | ||
| Fully Lit | 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale | $60,000 | Redfox Racing |
| Straight Charge | 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | $270,000 | Yu Long Investments (Australia) Pty Ltd |
Table: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott's stakes winners by sale, price and purchaser
Not only are they brilliant campaigners of horses, a glance at the purchase history of the team’s stakes winners this season highlights their eye for future racetrack talent. The Waterhouse and Bott buying team is responsible for playing a role in sourcing half of their 19 individual stakes winners to date this season. The fact that seven of the future stakes-winning purchasers were sourced at unique sales highlights the team’s willingness to go above and beyond to find their next star talent. Even more enticing is the fact that their average stakes-winning purchase is just a tick over $330,000.
Three weeks out from the world’s richest 2-year-old race in the Golden Slipper, the Waterhouse and Bott stable are in an enviable position with seven of the top 10 leading contenders. As we all know, a week is a long time in racing and one thing is for sure that the team at Tulloch Lodge will be going about its business in its usual professional manner.
