Racing: Shoot Out on target for cups

Queensland jockey Stathi Katsidis. Photo / Dean Purcell

MELBOURNE - Gold Coast trainer John Wallace says star galloper Shoot Out is nowhere near ready yet, but it didn't stop him from winning first-up in the group three Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.

The last-start AJC Australian Derby winner surprised Wallace with the way he was able to bounce out of the gates and control the 1200m sprint from the front, with Elumino just slightly ahead of him on his inside.

Ridden by top Queensland jockey Stathi Katsidis, Shoot Out ($6.50) scored by a half-length from Stanzout ($13) with Velocitea ($2.60 fav) three-quarters of a length away third.

"I was surprised when he was up there like that but I did tell Stathi 'you ride your own race just wherever he lands, it's up to you'," Wallace said.

"He's a good horse. He's nowhere near ready. He'll just improve and improve. He might be really good this horse.

"He's done things I've just never seen horses do. He's just a superstar horse. I love him so much."

The winner of six of his 12 starts including two group one races as a 3-year-old, the High Chaparral gelding is now outright favourite at $9 for the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley ahead of last year's winner So You Think, another son of High Chaparral, at $10.

The rising 4-year-old will also be entered for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. "We'll just take it as it comes. I'm not going to kill him. I want him there for a while, they [good horses] are hard to get," Wallace said.

Shoot Out will have his next start in the JJ Liston Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 14 and the trainer's intention is to "let him train himself" by running him every fortnight to ready him for the big spring plums.

"I'm very proud of him," Wallace said.

The $15,000 Gold Coast Magic Millions yearling purchase was also watched at Caulfield by his Mt Isa owners Linda and Graham Huddy.

Katsidis also has a huge opinion of Shoot Out. "Potentially, I think he'll be the best horse I've ever been associated with and I've still probably got 25 years left in my career.

"But a horse like this only comes along once in a lifetime and I'm just very lucky to be on board him.

"I could have led if I wanted to but I thought I better take hold of him because he's got to go twice past the post around this track if he gets to the Caulfield Cup and I wouldn't want him to start pulling.

"There's a long way to go yet but John's trained him sensationally. He had him really, really fresh for this race here today - that's why he raced the way he did and he did the same last time first-up and he was able to get him up to run the 2400m of the Derby.

"So John has him spot-on for whatever he is doing."

- AAP