Gai Waterhouse's most talented stayer since Fiorente ‘vulnerable' in Hollindale Stakes return
Now the French-bred import is being unleashed on the Queensland winter carnival, as a springboard to potential Caulfield and Melbourne Cup tilts in spring.
Eliyass went on a stunning winning romp when he kicked off racing Down Under last year before he tired at the end of his spring campaign and did not fire in his last two runs, including in the Group 1 Champions Stakes at Flemington in November.
After being given a long break and missing the autumn carnival, Eliyass will resume in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) on the Gold Coast on Saturday before having bigger fish to fry in the Group 1 Doomben Cup a fortnight later.
Waterhouse and co-trainer Adrian Bott are well aware the winter carnival has in recent years been a fabulous springboard for spring carnival success.
'He made great progression for us early, but the goalposts changed a bit with him at the back end of the (spring) carnival,' Bott said.
'From the progression he was making relatively quickly, his form tapered off and he had come to the end of it.
'So we gave him a good break and one of the main reasons we skipped autumn is that we went one or two more runs deeper into the (spring) campaign than originally planned.
'There are some nice races for him in Queensland and this carnival is also proven as a spring springboard.
'I see him as a horse who has got Melbourne Cup potential, I am sure he could see out the trip.
'We will learn more through Queensland and again through the early part of the spring.
'We will use Queensland as a good guide before locking in what his spring targets are.'
Eliyass is a $7.50 chance in betting for the Hollindale, but his prospects on the Gold Coast come with a word of warning from Bott.
'He has had a good break and only had the two trials going into Saturday, he is vulnerable there first-up, he is certainly not fully wound up for Saturday's race by any means,' Bott said.
'He will improve a good amount off Saturday.'
Waterhouse and Bott will also unleash three-year-old colt Wanaruah in the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) where he is a $5 chance.
Wanaruah was well beaten in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas last spring but the stable has a high opinion of him.
They may even try to qualify him for having a lightweight tilt at the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap next month.
There is a question mark over Saturday's assignment given 1200m is short of his sweet spot.
'He is nice and forward, he is there to try and win, but he has had a while off the scene maybe 1200(m) might be short of his best,' Bott said.
'That would be the only hesitation, but we have given him plenty of work at home and he seems ready to go.
'The 1400(m) to 1600(m) range is very good for him.
'Whether he can develop into a Stradbroke horse, we will have to wait and see.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
40 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Tigers' penalty for offensive gesture revealed as centre Brent Naden sanctioned for post-match act
The Wests Tigers have received an official warning, and centre Brent Naden is to be handed a fine after being handed a breach notice by the NRL for using an offensive Middle Eastern hand gesture during and following Sunday's win over the Bulldogs. Samuela Fainu, Latu Fainu and Brent Naden made a gesture known as the 'Khod' after a try against the Bulldogs on the weekend. The 'Khod gesture', which is done by pointing a straight hand to the sky and wiggling the middle finger down towards the palm, translates to 'f*** you', and is therefore considered deeply offensive within the Arabic community. The NRL announced on Wednesday morning that the three players had been given a formal warning about their on-field conduct. 'The NRL acknowledges that these actions caused, or had the potential to cause, offence to members of the NRL community,' an NRL statement said. Naden copped an additional breach notice, with a potential fine or even suspension in the works for his post-game video, which has since been deleted. After seeing the anger from Bulldogs fans online about the original try celebration, Naden did the Khod again as he headed home on Sunday night. 'Khod, f***ing Dogs,' he was heard saying in a video that has since been removed. 'Separately, the NRL has issued a breach notice to Wests Tigers Player Brent Naden. The notice alleges that Naden's conduct following the Wests Tigers match on 3 August 2025 contravened the NRL Code of Conduct. The Player will have five days to respond to the breach notice,' the NRL statement on Wednesday confirmed. Tigers players slammed for gesture Veteran NRL reporter Phil Rothfield said on NRL360 on Monday night that several Tigers players clearly got carried away and they had to be sanctioned for their actions. 'This was a case of players so hyped up, so worked up, a lot of feeling in this match,' Rothfield said. 'They could not control their emotions once they got the two points in the bag. They inappropriately, from what I'm told, did an 'up yours' signal to the Canterbury Bulldogs fans. 'The NRL didn't like it. I'm told there will be a punishment. I'm told the Wests Tigers players who did it will cop $1500 fines. I was told by a Lebanese mate that it means up yours.' NRL 360 host Braith Anasta added: 'I think it's silly. 'I've got a lot of Lebanese friends and they're split - some are saying come on, there's not much in this, and some are offended by it. Yeah, I think a fine is sufficient. Gorden Tallis added: 'Someone's flipping the bird back (in the crowd). 'It takes just a little bit of gloss off (the game).'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
AFL great Jimmy Bartel breaks silence on divorce to Nadia Bartel
AFL great Jimmy Bartel has spoken out about his divorce with Nadia Bartel with a rare comment. The pair called time on their relationship in 2019 with both remaining tight-lipped on their divorce and marriage breakdown. Now the former Geelong superstar has opened up and revealed why he stayed silent after the break up. 'There's nothing that I can do and say. And other people's opinions of me are none of my business. And so they'll form their own narrative, their own thinking or their own thought,' Bartel said on the A Life of Greatness with Sarah Grynberg podcast. 'The only thing that matters to me is the people that I care about and I just foster those relationships and it can be tough at times. You do want to bite back and you do want to respond … but people don't care, deep down they don't. 'The only people who care, are the people that actually care about you. And so that's all I worried and focused about.' The 41-year-old stated he would never speak publicly about the end of his marriage and what caused the pair to drift apart. 'I've never commented on anything to do about my separation. I never will because I just don't think it's needed. And so I just go about my business,' he added. The former couple tied the knot in 2014 and were married for five years before separating, they share two sons, Henley and Aston. 'It's been a very difficult month for me and the boys,' Nadia said shortly after the separation. 'My single focus now is to continue to protect, care for, and provide for my two beautiful boys as this is a personal matter. I am so thankful for my very supportive family and friends.' The pair have both since moved on with their love lives with Jimmy welcoming a baby girl into the world with his girlfriend Amelia Shepperd in April, 2023. Nadia on the other hand went public with former footballer Peter Dugmore early last year with the pair said to still be going strong. Bartel also detailed harrowing incidents from his childhood in the wide-ranging interview, revealing his mother had been given a life or death ultimatum from his father. The 2007 Brownlow Medal winner said his parents separated when he was just one, but it was his father's alleged violence towards his mother and others in the family that opened his eyes. 'Even though my parents had separated, he'd come around home and my mum had placed an AVO on him, he came around and told her to lift the AVO or else he was going to take mum,' Bartel said. 'And he did. He took my mum out of the house and took her. I remember looking out the lounge room window and he was taking my mum and I only found out until I was older, he was taking mum out to the back of Geelong and pretty much gave her the ultimatum, either remove the AVO or this is the end for you. 'And so it was a tough decision for my mum, do you leave three kids with no mum or you come back home and you remove the AVO and you try and manage things a different way. 'So it was, it wasn't until I was older, you know, in your teenage years where you start to work out, hang on, this is not the hero that you want as a dad.' The terrifying incident resulted in Bartel striving to become a better father to his two sons, and now daughter, in the wake of what he and his family went through. Despite what his mother endured, the AFL icon said she never said a negative word about his father.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Wests Tigers officially warned and centre Brent Naden is set for a fine after for using an offensive middle eastern hand gesture
The Wests Tigers have received an official warning and centre Brent Naden is set for a fine after being handed a breach notice by the NRL for using an offensive middle eastern hand gesture during and following Sunday's win over the Bulldogs. Naden was one of several Tigers players who used the khawd – the Arab equivalent of the middle finger – during their victory. After the game, Naden used the gesture again in social media post, which has since been deleted. On Tuesday, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo confirmed the league was investigating after several complaints from Bulldogs supporters moved the club to ask the league to take a look at the incident. On Wednesday morning the NRL released a statement confirming that the warning had been handed out to three players, who they declined to name, relating to their conduct on the field. 'The NRL acknowledges that these actions caused, or had the potential to cause, offence to members of the NRL community,' the statement said. 'Separately, the NRL has issued a breach notice to Wests Tigers Player Brent Naden. The notice alleges that Naden's conduct following the Wests Tigers match on 3 August 2025 contravened the NRL Code of Conduct. The Player will have five days to respond to the breach notice.' The gesture, which is widely known as a 'khawd' or 'khod' in the Arab community, is given by lowering the middle finger and pointing it in the direction of another person. There have been mixed reactions to its use, with suggestions it has taken on a less insulting tone among the younger generation.
