Welcome to another exhilarating edition of the Friday Wrap-Up! 🏇 Join us as we share the latest highlights and heartwarming moments from the world of BTX Racing. From the arrival of the final 2023 foal in our Broodmare Pack to the legendary status bestowed upon Gai Waterhouse, it’s been a week filled with excitement and anticipation. Jon Bon’s likely debut on September 27th and Reasonable’s promising return are generating buzz, while Kettle Hill’s encouraging performance hints at a spectacular spring ahead.

The Final 2023 Foal in the Broodmare Pack

A stunning chestnut colt by Russian Revolution out of Behaviourism was born last night at Blue Gum Farm, the final foal due to be born in this foaling season for our Broodmare Pack. A stunning chestnut, the colt is well proportioned with a strong shoulder, and a powerful hip, the type of horse needed when looking for precocity and speed in the Australian market. His sire Russian Revolution had more good news on Thursday with 4 of his progeny from his best ever crop nominated for the 2 year old trials on Monday at Randwick. The two-year-old trials are the showcase for the first 2YOs of the 2023/24 racing season, a landmark that only the most precocious horses make. The trials are an opportunity not only to identify racing talent but also to identify Australia’s best 2YO sires, making a big impression on buyers for the following years’ yearling sales.

Jon Bon A Part Of History As Gai Waterhouse Officially Crowned A Legend

Racing’s first lady Gai Waterhouse is set to receive the highest possible accolade when she’s elevated to Legend status at the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and Racehorse Of The Year ceremony later this year.

The recognition for her efforts towards horse racing in Australia, pioneering the sport as one of the first multiple Group 1 winning female trainers is a testament to her hard work and incredible record.

Now a part of one of the strongest training partnerships in Australia with Adrian Bott the partnership has had outstanding success, training more than 1060 winners, including 20 at Group 1 level. The team are preparing an army of horses for multiple stakes races this weekend across the country, headlined by stable war horse Alligator Blood in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes. The duo also has multiple horses in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes and Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes both at Royal Randwick including So You Think gelding Knight’s Order. Waterhouse has additional leading chances in the Poseidon Stakes, Exford Plate, Bill Ritchie Handicap and Everest Contender Hawaii Five-Oh in The Shorts.

The Waterhouse and Bott-trained colt Jon Bon has recovered well off the back of two trials and is due to race potentially at Rosehill on the 27th of September over 1200m. The team are happy with the fitness levels of the colt and rates him amongst their top 3-year-olds, confident that if he can break his maiden early he can take advantage of the spring riches in October and November.

Reasonable Race Scorches The Clock With History On Her Side

The regally bred Reasonable returned to the track on Wednesday finishing 5th in what may turn out to be one of the strongest maidens of the year. The race included the first progeny of multiple Group winner Egg Tart as well as eventual winner Makarena who ran second to one of the top 3-year-olds in the country Nadal on debut. Run on an extremely fast track with a subsequently fast time Reasonable was out sprinted, the necessity for her to cover more ground to be effective more evident than ever. Speaking to Ciaron Maher Racing Assistant Trainer Joh Gerard Dubord post race he was extremely encouraged “We know she is going to be a different animal in 6 months time, she still has to develop physically and she is still learning how to race”. The team will monitor Reasonable’s post-race recovery before deciding whether to push on and knock off her maiden, or put her out for a spell and prepare for what could be a career-defining Autumn campaign.

Notably, the corresponding 2022 meeting held 2 maiden races over the 1250 metres that found 3 subsequent stakes winners including multiple Group 2 and 3 winner Parisal, Group 3 winner and Group 1 placed Cinderella Days and stakes winner Dashing Legend. A further 2 horses from those races went on to win races worth over $150,000 with Insurrection and Principessa.

Shares in Reasonable are available from $125 in what beckons to be a monumental 6 months for the filly.

Kettle Hill Return Signals Big Spring

Kettle Hill’s efforts over 1300m at Sandown on Wednesday were extremely encouraging for all connections. Well short of his best distance Kettle Hill was outsprinted in the early stages, before building momentum under Group 1 winning jockey Ethan Brown to run down the outside finishing better than midfield. Whilst innocuous on paper, the Group 1 winning steer, multiple of which have been for the CMR team, was happy with the horse’s return “he found the line well and had a good blow after the race, he’ll take plenty of improvement out of that”.

As is common with European-bred horses their best performances come later in the preparation, with the BTX team confident this may be his best ever preparation, both in Australia and Europe.

Kettle Hill is due to have one more race in benchmark grade over 1400m where a win would justify stepping up to stakes level over 1600m third up.