Evacuation clears out for smart win

On a day with no shortage of well-credentialed colts at Rosehill on Saturday it was no surprise that the Waterhouse and Bott stable would produce their own when Evacuation produced a heady win in the St Mary’s RSL Bm 70 Handicap (1400m) for three-year-olds.

The More Than Ready colt home-bred for Ron Gilbert’s Highgrove Stud had made his debut at Kembla Grange over 1000m on April 16th which he won with nearly 4L in hand.

Produced again on Saturday Kerrin McEvoy was able to send the colt to the front at the top of the main straight after sitting quietly on the outside of the lead Cocoexcel and Hugh Bowman.

Racing in the middle of the track where the jockeys had steered through the early races Evacuation was kept together by McEvoy to keep his mind on the job and when asked he then went away smartly to win with a 2 3/4L margin.

Savvan (NZ) (Savabeel) and Glyn Schofield came into second with Pipeline (Redoute’s Choice) and Tye Angland third, the margin a head. Tumultuous was fourth.

The time was 1.26.20 on the Heavy 8 track with the final 600m in 36.66. Evacuation paid $1.90 on fixed odds and $1.80 on the tote.

Evacuation shows a great spurt of pace in the last 50 meters to claim the RSL Handicap at #Rosehill. pic.twitter.com/SyAERjyBPw

— TAB (@tabcomau) August 27, 2016

“He could not have been more impressive today. He is a colt we have thought a lot of so it was great to see him come here and take that next step today,” said Adrian Bott.

“Our horses are very fit going to the races so there is a foundation there, but there is improvement to come,” he said.

Bott said that the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 10th would come too soon for Evacuation and the stable was aiming towards the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield a month later.

“I knew I would be strong through the line, so I picked him up around the bend and got him interested and focused and the last furlong (200m) was his best,” said McEvoy.

“It is the right time of year for a big horse like him too be in and he is open to improvement so the world is his oyster now,” he said.

Evacuation, out of the Tale Of The Cat mare Scattered, may now head to the Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on September 30th before the Guineas two weeks later.