Confident Gai Has A Fight On Her Hands

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday August 23, 2008

By CHRIS ROOTS

GAI Waterhouse will send her "Victoria Derby horse" to Kembla Grange in the form of Fight And Defend for the Hollymount Bloodstock Maiden Handicap (1400m) today.

NSW's premier trainer was typically not lacking confidence about the Encosta De Lago colt, who has only had the one start - a seventh behind Predatory Pricer in a 1300m maiden at Kembla on August 5.

"He'll just win," she said.

"You will see a very good horse at Kembla (today) and he's my derby horse.

"I have nominated him for the Victoria Derby and that's where he is heading."

Waterhouse has made a habit of starting classy three-year-olds' campaigns at Kembla in August, with Lotteria the most notable in 2004.

Fight And Defend comes out of one of the strongest maiden in recent times and should be better suited at 1400m.

Waterhouse had also nominated Dreamscape for Kembla but has opted to give him his first race start in the Group Three Up And Coming Stakes (1200m) at Warwick Farm.

"He is a lovely Choisir colt and we thought he was a chance at odds in the Up And Coming and it worth giving him his opportunity," Waterhouse said.

Dreamscape was steady at $18 with TAB Sportsbet, while stablemate The Flame, who won his only start at Gosford, has been backed from $17 into $12.

San Domenico winner Duporth is $2.40 favourite for the Up And Coming with Atomic Force ($4.20), Whitefriars ($4.80) and Aichi ($8.50) also in the betting.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

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