Racing: Melbourne team finalised

Gai Waterhouse. Photo / NZ Herald

Randwick horsewoman Gai Waterhouse is preparing to take her biggest team to a Melbourne spring carnival on the back of Descarado's Cup success at Caulfield last year.

Leading the charge for the Waterhouse team will be Cups hopefuls Descarado, Herculian Prince, Once Were Wild and Tullamore.

The champion trainer says she will take about 30 horses south this spring and will spend plenty of time there herself as the team chases the carnival riches.

"All my group one horses will go straight to Melbourne, most of them won't race here and the horses I'm making into that, the Reuben Percivals and those horses, will be heading for the Metropolitan [in Sydney]," Waterhouse said.

"I'll spend quite a bit of time down there. I'll take about 30 horses to Melbourne."

Waterhouse, who trained Descarado to win last year's Caulfield Cup, said prizemoney and the prestige of the major races were reasons to target the Melbourne spring. "If I'm going to have a horse in the [Melbourne] Cup, I think about five horses will be nominated for the Cup, they've got to be down there," she said.

"That's what you are training them for, they might as well be clocking up the miles on that leg as to this leg up here."

Last year's AJC Oaks winner Once Were Wild, who finished midfield in last year's Melbourne Cup, went around in a 1200m trial on Friday at Warwick Farm.

"She'll trial again here and then I'll probably kick her off in Melbourne," Waterhouse said.

"She's already a group one and group two winner, I'll concentrate on winning the Cup for Singo [owner John Singleton] with her."

Star mare More Joyous is back in work with Waterhouse yet to decide on her spring kick-off point.

"She's been back about three weeks and she'll trial here [in Sydney] and probably head to Melbourne at the end of the carnival."

Waterhouse also said she would have a number of young horses with her in Melbourne.

"I'll take all the 2-year-olds down there because you've got to be around them," she said.

Randwick Guineas placegetter Light Brigade and group-winning More Strawberries will remain in Sydney and be aimed at the Epsom Handicap, with Waterhouse chasing her seventh win in the feature mile.

Waterhouse finished last season in third place on the Sydney trainers' premiership.

- AAP