Hall of Fame trainer Gai Waterhouse will look to make a triumphant return to Randwick on Chelmsford Stakes day on Saturday after years away from Sydney tracks.
The first lady of racing took a step back from Sydney racing in the past three or four years, preferring to run the Melbourne stable in her training partnership with Adrian Bott.
She went to the pony races at Warwick Farm last year to watch and mentor her granddaughter, Sophia, but other than that, she has watched Sydney from afar, until a call from Australian Turf Club chairman Tim Hale.
Waterhouse has been a regular at Flemington and Caulfield in the past couple of years, but she wanted Bott to take centre stage in Sydney.
“It was nice of Tim to ask me to the races and he and his committee are doing a great job,” Waterhouse told Betsy. “I’m really looking forward to getting back to Randwick, it has been a long time since I was there for the races. When Adrian took over the business, I decided to stay away and let him shine. If I’m there, people just want to talk to me. Adrian is the boss, and he needed to be the centre of attention.”
Hale won the race to become the new ATC chairman in July.
“I have known Gai for more than 40 years, and the first time I went to the races was with her and TJ [Smith] the day Bounding Away won the Golden Slipper in 1986,” Hale said. “I rang her when I became chairman and asked her to be my guest at the races, and she nominated this day.”
It will be the day, Bott and Waterhouse take the covers off Cup contenders Vauban and Sir Delius in the Chelmsford Stakes amongst a raft of other runners.
Waterhouse still splits her time between the Sydney and Melbourne stables and hopes to see Sir Delius and Vauban show their staying credentials first-up.
“It’s their second preparations in Australia and they are better for being here that little longer,” Waterhouse said. “Both have taken good benefit from a break and are heading towards the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. I expect them to run really well on Saturday over the mile.”
Vauban was bought by Australian Bloodstock after he failed in last year’s Melbourne Cup, and at his first start for Tulloch Lodge won the Sky High Stakes in the autumn before running third to Dubai Honour in the Tancred Stakes.
Sir Delius came to Australia after finishing midfield in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and won the Chairman’s Handicap at Doomben during the winter carnival.
“They have both improved and they might surprise a few people,” Waterhouse said.
