The open juvenile event at Randwick on Saturday over 1000m drew an intriguing field that featured several runners held in very high regard by their trainers and when the dust had settled it was Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Pallaton that had put his name in lights with an ultra impressive debut win.
A homebred for Anthony Gow Gates, the Michael Freedman trained Pallaton looked promising in his two lead up trials when ridden by Tommy Berry, the most recent when winning easily at Randwick on December 9.
With Berry again on board for race day, Pallaton settled off the speed and when given the cue to quicken he pounced on the leader Chergui to race clear and win by two and a half lengths over the Godolphin bred half-brother to Group I winners Alizee and Astern.
Inclined to look around at the finish, Pallaton made the task look too easy with bookmakers immediately elevating him to equal favouritism for the Golden Slipper with the filly Bel Merci, winner of the Group III ATC Gimcrack Stakes.
“We’ve had a good opinion of him for a while and he’s has been very professional right from the first day we got him in,” said Michael Freedman.
“Hew has a great temperament, just the perfect two year-old type and I worked him with an older horse earlier this week and he more than held his own and I thought if he brings that to the races you will see the best of him.”
Freedman will ponder the future for the talented colt with a 10 day break the first priority before a plan is put in place to target the better autumn juvenile races and Pallaton is not the only Wootton Bassett in the stable.
“We have a few at home and they have a terrific constitution and great temperament,” Freedman said.
“I said to someone earlier in the week they remind of back in the day with the Danehill’s, they had that relaxed and laid back temperament and there is a bit of that talk around with a few of the other trainers saying the same thing.”
Pallaton is a half-brother to four winners from juvenile stakes-winner Anevay, a half-sister by Exceed and Excel to Group II winner Krupt and to the dam of stakes-winner Poifect.
Anevay has a yearling colt by Smart Missile and after having a year off is now in foal to Home Affairs.
Pallaton is the first Australian two year-old winner for Wootton Bassett, who is the Champion European Sire of 2YO’s in 2024 with an astonishing 42 winners and 13 are stakes-winners headed by Group I winners Twain, Henri Matisse, Camille Pissarro and Tennessee Stud.
Wootton Bassett has just returned to Ireland following his fourth season at stud in Australia for Coolmore and is poised to play a big role at Magic Millions with 30 yearlings on offer at the Gold Coast.
