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By Ray Hickson

Nothing has been left to chance by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to ensure unbeaten filly Agarwood has had the best grounding to keep her record intact at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Adrian Bott (Pic: Grant Guy)

This meant venturing to Goulburn on August 11 to give the three-year-old her second barrier trial so she has the required fitness for a testing Group 2 $300,000 Sintoro Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m).

Stablemate Espionage, who also resumes at Randwick, trialled on the same day to avoid uncertainty around barrier trial availability.

“We were worried about trials getting cancelled so we had to do that to give her the right timing to have her right for this run,’’ Bott said.

“She’s got to take that next step into stakes company now.

“She has early winter form but I feel she’s had enough time to have the benefit of that preparation.

“She looks well and I’ve been pleased with her trials so it’ll be interesting to see the level improvement we see from her.”

Agarwood, $2.50 with TAB on Friday, trialled as an early two-year-old but didn’t make her debut until May 7 with an easy maiden win at Warwick Farm.

She backed that up 17 days later scoring an easy all the way win on a heavy track at Randwick, which Bott said is a source of some confidence that the ground on Saturday won’t be an issue.

“No doubt it wouldn’t have been anywhere near the ground we’re going to receive on Saturday but it was a heavy surface and she handled it well, he said.

“She was pretty impressive in what she did early days.

“She was always showing the right signs and the level of improvement she took out of that maiden win into Saturday grade was pleasing.

“She showed she was a filly with a bit of class and she should be tested against these fillies.”

Waterhouse & Bott have won two of the last four Silver Shadows, with Swift Witness in 2021 and Autumn Ballet in 2023, while Waterhouse has also prepared Speak Fondly (2015) and Ha Ha (2001) to take the first leg of the Princess Series.

How far through the series Agarwood progresses is up to her, Bott said.

“Against her own age and sex she could be stretched to an extent so we’ll stick to the series for now and take it one run at a time,’’ he said.

“The first two 1200m runs are the ones that are set for her and off the back of that you’d think she could stretch out to 1400m.”

A wet track is the least of Bott’s concerns with Espionage resuming in the Group 3 $250,000 Hyland Race Colours Show County Quality (1200m) as he looks to recapture his two-year-old form this spring.

The now four-year-old ran a couple of respectable races at Group 1 level in Melbourne in the autumn but overall fell short of expectation.

Bott said he’d like to see a positive return, noting he’d expect more of the entire in future runs.

“He will improve deeper into the campaign and as he gets over a bit further,’’ he said.

Agarwood wins a Goulburn trial on August 11

“He seems to have come back in good shape and is doing things well. He didn’t quite come up last preparation and things didn’t work out well for him.

“I think he profiles a horse that should, appreciate 1400m this time in.”

Espionage’s last win was the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes in April last year on a heavy track.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting