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By Ray Hickson

Tough race experience is what co-trainer Adrian Bott sees as the edge for promising youngster Revengeance over stablemate Plagiarism as Tulloch Lodge eyes a hat-trick in Saturday’s $1 million Golden Gift (1100m) at Rosehill.

Trainer Adrian Bott (Pic: Grant Guy)

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have prepared the past two winners of the Golden Gift, with North England successful last year and Shangri La Express in 2023.

Revegeance made his debut with a close third in the Breeders’ Plate a month ago while Plagiarism is stepping out for the first time after two barrier trials in October.

“The fact he’s coming through a superior form line, he has the race experience now and he’s started to put it all together off we saw in that race, he ticks a lot of boxes,’’ Bott said.

“He ran very well in the Breeders' and was probably a touch new, over reactive. He found a bit of interference there late, and he did a good job to pick himself up and finish off the way he did.

“There’s plenty of raw ability, he’s done well since and gave us plenty of reasons to push on with him.”

The colt, $3.50 with TAB on Friday, is the only youngster from the Waterhouse/Bott team to press on from the Breeders’ and Gimcrack back on October 4.

He was kept up to the mark trialling behind Plagiarism and Bott said if he’s taken the improvement he appears to have made into the race he’ll be hard to beat.

“He’s a lovely strong colt who looked like he was on an upward spiral going into the first run and the one that looked to have the most improvement to come out of the race itself,’’ he said.

“He had a quieter time in that trial, he’s remained in work all the way through so he just needed a nice enough gallop to keep him up to the mark fitness wise.”

Plagiarism, a colt by Written By, has the outside barrier to overcome in the Golden Gift though Bott said he has the early speed to be a good chance of crossing them.

He said the youngster is still learning to execute his races well and if Plagiarism gets it all right he may surprise a few.

“He’s a real jump and run style of horse, plenty of natural speed and brilliance which we’ve seen at the trials,’’ Bott said.

“He’s going to need all that to offset the draw he’s been given but he deserves his chance.

“He’s looked good in both trials and improved nicely into them. He’s shown a good level of precocity to us so it’s no surprise that he’s lining up.”

Stayer Format will be looking to bounce back in the Chandon Handicap (2400m) after failing to handle a deteriorating track third-up just over a week ago.

He was beaten 15 lengths by Thebudgiesmugla but beat that horse at previous start back on top of the ground.

Revengeance runs third in the Breeders' Plate

“You’ve got to put a line through that run the other day, he struggled in those wet conditions,’’ Bott said.

“Prior to that he was very honest at Hawkesbury.”

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