MORE Than Ready’s quest to sire a third Golden Slipper winner is a step closer after debutante filly Later Gator demolished her rivals to take last night’s ATC Clubs NSW Western Region Handicap (1100m) by four lengths at a rain soaked Canterbury.

The ease of Later Gator’s win mirrors that of Gai Waterhouse stablemate Raceway who also happens to be bred on the same More Than Ready / Flying Spur nick, a cross which has also produced this season’s VRC Maribyrnong Plate winner Cambiaso, Waterhouse’s 2008 Golden Slipper hero Sebring as well as stakeswinners Hot ‘N’ Ready and the unbeaten 3YO and 2012 AJC Derby bound , Proliferate.

Later Gator is the fifth individual 2YO winner sired by More Than Ready in 2011/12 so far joining the aforementioned Cambiaso and Raceway plus metro winners, Faustus and Vinery Stud’s own, Samaready.
He has also sired the stakes placed maiden Dysfunction.
Later Gator’s win was vaguely reminiscent of another of Waterhouse’s supreme fillies, Amelia’s Dream, who won her first start on a heavy track at a Canterbury night meeting during the month of February (2008).
She went on to win the Silver Slipper by six lengths at her next and sadly final start.

“It is always hard to line up the form of the two-year-olds but Later Gator couldn’t have done any more than she did, she is a ready made racehorse, the perfect two-year-old and a genuine autumn contender.” said Vinery’s Conor Phelan.

Later Gator was bred by Gerry Harvey and was bought by John Singleton at the New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling sale in 2011 for $180,000.
(Singleton races numerous More Than Ready progeny including the five times Group 1 winner More Joyous who is from the same Denise’s Joy family as last night’s winner).

Later Gator is the third foal of Now The World whose first, Next The Universe (by Mossman) is a Randwick winner for Harvey and trainer Kris Lees.
The filly’s grand-dam, Light Up The World, is well known to Waterhouse – the flashy replica of Rory’s Jester won a number of stakes races in the 1990’s including the Queen of the Turf, Challenge and Premiere Stakes.

“More Than Ready is having a fabulous year with his two-year-olds. There is more depth in this seaosns crop than ever before, Gai’s two have been pretty awesome, but I doubt connections of the others would be swapping their’s,” says Phelan.