A Group 1 for All Too Hard with Alligator Blood in the Stradbroke followed by a Group 1 for Star Turn with Startantes in the Tatt’s Tiara, Headwater may have felt like the odd man out on the Vinery roster before chipping in with two exciting winners on Saturday.
The David Vandyke-trained Whitewater opened the batting when coming with a sustained run down the outside to win the opener over 1600m at Eagle Farm.
It took his record to three wins and two seconds and confirmed to his trainer that the 3yo gelding is at his best when ridden conservatively.
“It’s amazing if you listen to them what they’ll you. We led here two starts ago, and it just didn’t suit him,” Vandyke said.
“He was a bit weak late, but we changed tactic with Jimmy’s (Byrnes) advice, gone back today, and he was very strong.
“That was actually a better win than it looks. The whole family, when they hit the line, they switch off. When he got there a bit early, I thought that he won’t put in his best over the last bit and just was a little bit plain late, but that was just him knowing he had the job done.”
If Whitewater was the entrée, Inundation was the main course.
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained son of Headwater dropped the opposition in the style of a promising horse in a three-length romp over 1000m at Caulfield.
The 3yo gelding has now won three on the bounce since a narrow defeat when on debut at Kilmore.
“It’s very exciting,” Kent said.
“At home, we don’t really test them as you might on race day, so from an awkward draw, and we were quite vocal pre-race about how awkward that was, in a couple of strides, he was outside lead and travelling comfortably. And then travels deep into the race over 1000m going quickly and then puts them away - so clearly, he’s very exciting.
“We’ve had no big ambitions; we’re just capitalising on his rating and trying to earn some prize money for his connections. But Starry Legend and Squid Game are no slouches, and he’s toyed with them today at his fourth start. There is one more race on the calendar in two weeks, but Mick’s in Queensland; we’ll talk to him, talk to the owners and work out whether we go there or put him away, but he’s a big raw horse and still furnishing and clearly more to come.”
Jenna Mahoney purchased Inundation for $30,000 from the Furlong Bloodstock draft at the 2020 MM Gold Coast 2YOs In Training Sale after making $10,000 more at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.
He is the first foal of the unraced Dream Ahead mare Flippity Lass, a $6,000 purchase at the 2017 Inglis December Monthly Online Sale.
Flippity Lass is out of a three-quarter sister to dual Group 1 winner Cosmic Lass, from the renowned family of Twiglwt, Fairy King Prawn, and Easy Rocking.
Flippity Lass has an unraced 2yo Astern filly named Ocean Endeavour. After foaling a Unite and Conquer colt last spring, she was covered by Sun City.
To complete a treble for Headwater on Saturday, Manhood took his record to two wins from three starts with a two and three-quarter length victory over 1100m at the Gold Coast.
The 3yo colt was making his first start for Annabel Neasham, having previously been trained by the Dubai-bound Michael Costa.
