Storm Boy draws comparison with Pierro
Gai Waterhouse has likened exciting juvenile Storm Boy (Justify) to her five-time Group 1-winning stallion Pierro (Lonhro).
Undefeated in his three starts to date, Storm Boy is rated a $2.70 chance for the $5 million Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) at Rosehill on March 23, having last been seen in competitive action when proving a cut above his 15 rivals in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 13.
“He’s very much like Pierro. He’s big and he’s strong and he’s extremely masculine,” Waterhouse told Racing.com.
“And when he goes out, he pings his ears back and says, ‘Get out of my way’.
“He’s that type of horse. Vancouver, Farnham, Sebring, they’re all not only different physically, but different mentally too.
“But Storm Boy will just eat you alive.”
The son of Justify (Scat Daddy), who was recently acquired by Coolmore in a deal reportedly worth more than $50 million, is set to have his next start in the Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick on March 2 as a lead-in to the Golden Slipper. The stable will then weigh up a couple of options to decide what races round out the two-year-old campaign.
“The Skyline will be his next start and then he’ll go into the Slipper … then it just depends how he comes out of the Slipper,” Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, said. “Will he go to the Sires or the Champagne? We’ll wait and see.
“He’s got a program and hopefully he’ll be able to enjoy it all … but he’s outstanding and he’ll be going to Coolmore when he eventually finishes racing.”