Wodeton propelled into Slipper favouritism after stunning debut
Wootton Bassett colt lives up to hype with a comfortable victory over his rivals at Rosehill
Wodeton (Wootton Bassett) shot to the head of the betting for the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) after the highly touted colt produced a hugely eye-catching performance at Rosehill on Saturday.
Having already been prominent in the betting for the March feature ahead of his competitive debut, the Chris Waller-trained colt was made the $6 Slipper favourite after he got off the mark in the easiest of fashions in an 1100-metre contest.
Lining up on the back of a pair of promising second-placed finishes in two trials at Warwick Farm, including one behind subsequent Golden Gift (Gr 3, 1000m) runner-up West Of Swindon (Wootton Bassett), the wrap had been big about the juvenile’s first racetrack outing.
Ridden by champion jockey James McDonald, who would dominate the card with four winning mounts on his return from a suspension, the son of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) was a step slow away from his barrier in seven and was forced to make up a couple of places early to sit mid-pack.
Rounding the home bend, Wodeton was pulled three-wide under a confident looking McDonald and, after ranging up to the long-time leaders, quickened impressively before extending in taking fashion towards the line to beat The Magic Man (Showtime) by an eased-down 3.9 lengths. There was a further 3.2 lengths back to the third-placed Sanctified (Super Seth) as the field finished well stretched out.
“It’s a privileged position to be in,” Waller’s assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said of the colt’s new found status as Slipper favourite.
“He’s been incredibly dominant today and his demeanour even before the race with the delay was amazing and he’s like an old hand at the job and then getting caught three-wide is never ideal, but he sidled up and put them away with great ease.
“If it [track] was in the heavy range then you probably wouldn’t have seen him today and we had him pencilled in to run next week.
“However, James [McDonald] won’t be here then so that had a little bit of an inclination as we wanted to have James onboard and when we missed the showers last night I think we were very fortunate to be racing on a soft surface.”
Asked on where Wodeton may head next, Duckworth said the team will decide on a race at a later date but did mention the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) as a potential option back at Rosehill in a fortnight’s time as a possibility.
He was probably the most highly talked about colt when we were up at the Magic Millions and he had only trialled and yet everyone was asking about him
“We’ll leave that up to Chris,” he said. “Exactly how he’d measure up to get into the Slipper, we’ll plot a path there. You’ve got the Canonbury [Stakes] in a fortnight, but we’ll see how he comes through and then work it out.
“He was probably the most highly talked about colt when we were up at the Magic Millions and he had only trialled and yet everyone was asking about him.
“To generate that much hype off a trial when you are well held and didn’t even win the trial, but obviously people knew what they were looking at and he’s pretty exciting.”
McDonald revealed he had been very confident of a winning debut from the colt, but still cut an excited figure in his post-race interview.
“I’ve sat on him a couple of times now and he’s the real deal. He has the most pure action and unbelievable demeanour about him and it’s going to take him a long way,” the winning rider said.
“You’ve just seen how he’s handled all of that. He wasn’t quick away and he’s just managed to slot in, control, and use his turn of foot to quicken away.
“You wait until you see him on good ground!”
Asked if he had thought about how far Wodeton may win by during the race, McDonald responded: “I thought how far when I rocked up here in my car! But he still has to go out and do it and I find with these colts that the first one [race] is the hardest one as expectation is huge and you just want it to all go well and him to learn with the experience. He’s an exciting colt.”
Wodeton was purchased for $1.6 million by Tom Magnier at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale out of the Segenhoe Stud draft, making him the most expensive colt from the first Australian crop of yearlings by Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett.
He runs in the colours of Coolmore, who own the colt in a partnership that includes his breeder Fairway Thoroughbreds, who are also the breeders of Friday night’s $1 million Magic Millions Snippets (1200m) winner Zarastro (I Am Invincible).
Wodeton is the second winner from as many foals to race out of the stakes-winning Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Fiera Vista, herself a half-sister to dual Group 2 winner Empress Rock (Fastnet Rock) from the family of champion Hong Kong sprinter Silent Witness (El Moxie).
The third foal from Fiera Vista, an I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) colt, also sold to Tom Magnier for $1.15 million out of Segenhoe’s draft at last week’s Magic Millions sale and the mare is now in foal to Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) on southern hemisphere time.
Wodeton is the third Australian first crop winner for Wootton Bassett, joining Pallaton and Gallo Nero, who was also third in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) on Friday.
Wootton Bassett shuttled to Coolmore Australia for the 2024 southern hemisphere breeding season at a fee of $192,500 (inc GST), and will stand the 2025 northern hemisphere breeding season at Coolmore Stud in Ireland for a fee of €300,000 (approx. AU$499,170).
