Trainer Gai Waterhouse will give More Than Ready colt Kiss And Make Up a chance to qualify for the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes after a winning debut at Canterbury on Wednesday.
The Strawberry Hill Stud homebred accounted for a very strong juvenile field in the TAB Maiden Plate (1200m). He started a $3.50 favourite after two impressive barrier trials and had the race all sewn up before holding off quick closers Detective (Snitzel) and Star of Monsoon (Lonhro).
“It’s a lovely story for the stable and great to get a result for John Singleton,” stable manager Adrian Bott said. “Gai identified him very early as one of our most promising colts and we’re looking at the Golden Slipper.”
Kiss And Make Up (2c More Than Ready – Fashions Afield by Redoute’s Choice) will step up to Group 2 company for next assignment in the Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on March 5. Singleton named him after resuming a long-standing friendship with Waterhouse after they fell out over an unplaced run by champion mare More Joyous in the 2013 All Aged Stakes.
“It was important to see him come out and do that today,” Bott added. “It was a quality field and it was a good tough win.”
The colt’s dam Fashions Afield was a dual Group 1 winner of the 2005 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes and AJC Flight Stakes at Randwick.
The TAB introduced Kiss And Make Up into Golden Slipper markets at $51. Waterhouse also prepares brilliant More Than Ready filly Golden Glamour who is priced at $15 for the Golden Slipper on March 19.
Hoofnote: More Than Ready sired another promising maiden winner from a Group 1 winning Danehill-line mare when Tosen Alverta was successful second time out at Urawa in Japan on February 5. Her dam Alverta (Flying Spur) won the STC Coolmore Classic in 2010 and followed up with a close third to Starspangledbanner and Equiano in the G1 July Cup at Newmarket.
