A big handsome dapple grey, imported Mastercraftsman gelding White Marlin (IRE) cut an impressive figure in the mounting yard at Rosehill on Wednesday and made a winning Australian debut for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable.
A winner at his only two starts in Ireland over 2400m when trained by Joseph O’Brien, White Marlin was first up from a spell in the Benchmark 72 event over 1800m.
With the hot favourite Willinga Rufio taken on in front and a brisk pace ensuring a truly run race, White Marlin found conditions to suit and charged home to win from the fast finishing three year-old Manzoice, who may have designs on the Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes.
“He’s a horse that came from Ireland lightly raced with two nice wins from his only starts and looked to have a fair bit of improvement,” said Adrian Bott.
“When he came up for sale in an online sale we thought he would be a nice horse to join the Tulloch Lodge team and it’s been great for connections to kick off here in such a manner.”
White Marlin might be a stayer, but he is a half-brother to Group I winning sprinter Romantic Proposal and is one of four winners from Playwithmyheart, a half-sister by Diktat to another Group I winning sprinter miler in Toylsome.
His sire Mastercraftsman started his stud career shuttling to New Zealand, so is well known in this part of the world and has sired 90 stakes-winners and interestingly is also the sire of the dam of the runner-up to White Marlin, Manzoice.
