Sydney, October 8 – Leading trainer Gai Waterhouse coaxed a virtuoso performance from the Catbird gelding Cateclipse at Royal Randwick on Saturday when the handsome chestnut cruised to his third successive win in the Group Three AJC Craven Plate.
The win was all the more remarkable as Cateclipse faced a significant challenge in that he was tackling 2000 metres and weight-for-age company, both for the very first time.
Expertly rated in front by Danny Beasley, Cateclipse sauntered along in the lead before dashing clear of Group One winner Testafiable to win his first Black Type event by a length.
Five-year old Cateclipse has proven an outstanding result for his group of seven owners, amassing $417,100 in prizemoney while winning eight races from 24 starts, posting an impressive winning strike rate of one in three.
Bred and offered for sale by John Morrissey of Retreat Farm, Cateclipse was purchased by Waterhouse for $110,000 at the 2003 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale where he was the highest priced yearling sired by Catbird and also the fifth highest priced offering of the entire sale.
A half-brother to New Zealand Group One winner Greene Street, Cateclipse is from the Vice Regal mare Shadyside (NZ), who is due to foal to Catbird this spring.
“We’ve got the foal alarm on her and she’s two days overdue although that’s not unusual for her as she often goes a couple of weeks over,” said John Morrissey.
“She’s getting on a bit now but if she comes through her foaling well and everything is OK we’d love to send her back to Catbird.”
Cateclipse is the ninth individual stakes-winner sired by Golden Slipper winner Catbird and is also now his highest stake earner.
