Tulloch Lodge colt Red Resistance to stay unbeaten in Todman Stakes

Red Resistance, described by part-owner Henry Field as a “machine”, can continue his winning momentum in the Group 2 $300,000 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are fielding inevitable comparisons between Red Resistance and the former brilliant colt, Farnan, winner of the 2020 Golden Slipper.

Farnan won the Todman Stakes in his final lead-up and Waterhouse and Bott had decided to take the same route with Red Resistance.

“Hopefully after the weekend Red Resistance can really stamp himself as one of the leading contenders going into the Golden Slipper,” Bott said.

“He’s got that same great profile as Farnan with good natural gate speed and tactical speed, he sustains a good gallop and we saw both times he’s been able to quicken nicely off it.

“It’s interesting to hear Brett’s (Prebble’s) comments after those wins, he’s always felt he still had a bit more in hand, he still had a few more gears to go.”

Red Resistance scored successive Rosehill wins back in January, defeating Steel City on debut before a brilliant win in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes when he was too good for King’s Gambit and Shinzo.

Waterhouse and Bott have given Red Resistance a barrier trial hit-out between runs and the young colt’s easy win by nearly six lengths prompted field to describe the two-year-old as a machine.

A closer examination of the trial win reveals Red Resistance sprinting his final 600m in 31.94sec – thoroughbred simply don’t go much faster.

“His trial was good, they ran very good time but he looked too be doing it quite well within himself,” Bott said.

“We didn’t go out there with the intention of trying to break the clock but he was out there for a hitout to keep him up to the mark, so it was a nice 800m trial and should have him ready and primed for the 1200m on Saturday.”

Red Resistance is at $1.70 favourite with TAB Fixed Odds to score his third win from as many starts in the Todman Stakes.

But despite only having four rivals, Red Resistance faces formidable opposition with Silver Slipper winner Cylinder ($3.20), Breeders Plate winner Empire Of Japan ($12) and unbeaten duo Cafe Millennium ($6) and Militarize ($23).

“Red Resistance’s in great shape but this is a really important race for him on Saturday, it will be a good test,” Bott said.

“It’s a small field again but the right horses are there so it will give us a good gauge on exactly where he sits after Saturday.

“But we’re really happy with where he’s at and we feel he is the right profile of horse heading to the Golden Slipper.”

In the order of entry for the $5m Longines Golden Slipper on March 18, Red Resistance is ranked 11th and stablemate Platinum Jubilee 12th.

Waterhouse and Bott had entered Platinum Jubilee for the Reisling Stakes on Saturday but decided against starting her and instead she had a barrier trial at Warwick Farm on Thursday where she sped away to win by nearly four lengths.

“We decided to trial her and go straight into the Golden Slipper,” Bott said.

“Purely because she’s had a bit of racing and she’s been up a while. She had the early spring, the trip up to Queensland, and you don’t want to overtax those Queensland horses too much.

“But she is so well within herself. We want her grand final being the Golden Slipper so it’s all about what’s going to get her there on the day in the best shape so we felt the trial is the right way to go.”

Platinum Jubilee won the Gimcrack Stakes on debut then has reeled off successive seconds in the Wyong Magic Millions, Magic Millions Classic and Silver Slipper.

Bott said the filly has shown her ability to race anywhere a field, handles all track conditions, and she is very genuine under pressure.

“She seems to have done it all and experienced it all. She has been through all the various formlines and stacked up against them,” Bott said.

“She has done it from in front, from behind, on whatever surfaces.”

Bott wasn’t about to enter the debate on whether the colts or fillies are better this season but with Red Resistance and Platinum Jubilee, Tulloch Lodge is well placed to win another Golden Slipper.

“I think it’s pretty even across the board. There is not one particular dominant filly or colt just yet,” he said.

“There are still a number of good chances that are putting their hands up. I’m sure that will become a bit clearer and we might see a dominant colt and filly off the back of the weekend.”

THE REAL CONVERGE TO REEMERGE IN CANTERBURY STAKES

It’s almost 12 months to the day when Converge held off Anamoe to win a memorable Randwick Guineas.

So much has happened in the year since that Guineas. Anamoe has trained on to win six Group 1 races and is now recognised as the nation’s best racehorse.

But Converge’s star has fallen. He has not won a race since and hasn’t managed to place in his last five starts.

Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have kept the faith with Converge and believe he can resurrect his career starting with the Group 1 $600,000 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

“Converge is in great shape,” Bott enthused ahead of the dual Group 1 winner’s return to racing.

“His trials have been good, he had a nice exhibition gallop at the races last Saturday and I thought he looked sharp.

“He’s really well in himself this preparation whereas last ‘prep’, whether we were on the back foot from the outset or whether we were making excuses for him all the way through, we never quite saw what we needed to throughout the campaign.

“We just kept chasing in the hope he’d be able to turn it around and we’d be able to get him right. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.”

Bott believes the drier tracks could ignite a return to form from Converge. He is rated at $31 in early Canterbury Stakes betting behind outstanding mare Imperatriz at $1.90 favourite.

“Hopefully we will be able to get him back to something like his Randwick Guineas form this autumn,” Bott said.

The Waterhouse and Bott-trained In The Congo was nominated for the Canterbury Stakes but is being kept fresh for the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill on March 18.