FORMIDABLE training combination Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will stick with a familiar recipe to try and win another Wagga Gold Cup on Friday.
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Waterhouse and Bott combined to win the 2019 Wagga Gold Cup with former Englishwoman Rachel King and the trio will team up again at Murrumbidgee Turf Club on Friday.
After striking success in 2017 with Stampede, Waterhouse, Bott and King will bid to try and win the Wagga feature again this year with top-weight Knights Order.
The Irish import is no stranger to Wagga, having finished eighth when tackling the race first-up back in 2021.
Knights Order is back, again first-up, and co-trainer Bott believes he is ready to give a good account of himself.
"He's in great shape," Bott told Sky Sports Radio.
"He didn't quite come up for us last preparation.
"We just opted to give him a really good spell and obviously missed the autumn with him so he's going to have a targeted approach to I guess a couple of these types of races and potentially up through Queensland.
"But I feel he's in great shape, he's certainly forward for his first up run and we've seen previously he's able to and capable to pull off those types of runs.
"Looking forward to it and any rain around he'll certainly appreciate. It's just a nice race to kick him off in and we enjoy supporting country carnivals."
Waterhouse won her first Wagga Gold Cup with Regal Touch in 2001, who was ridden to victory by a young Danny Beasley.
She scored her second success 16 years later in partnership with Bott, with King in the saddle.
Knights Order claimed his biggest success when winning the 2022 group one Sydney Cup (3200m). He returned with a first-up win in the group two Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) in September but hasn't won since.
He will be one of two runners for Waterhouse and Bott at the Wagga Gold Cup carnival.
They will also be represented by the lightly-raced Invincible Sky in the $80,000 MTC Guineas (1600m), who will also be ridden by King.
Invincible King won his first two starts before being unplaced at group three level. He returned with a seventh placing over 1200m at Newcastle last month in preparation for the Guineas at Wagga.
Bott believes this assignment is more suitable.
"Gets straight up to his suitable trip. Just a bit short for him there first-up," Bott told Sky Sports Radio.
"He broke his maiden over the 1400 and stretched out last preparation so just resuming over the 1200 he was just a bit flat footed but I thought he stuck on well.
"He'll be much better suited stepping back up in trip."
