Gai Waterhouse has dismissed any notion of second-up syndrome with Tuesday Joy, declaring the mare will claim the middle leg of a two-state Group One stable treble on Saturday.Waterhouse has runners in two of the three Group Ones at Flemington as well as Tuesday Joy in the Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick.Northern Meteor is favourite for the Newmarket Handicap (1200m), Theseo dominates the Australian Cup (2000m) betting and Tuesday Joy is the clear pick in the Chipping Norton (1600m).The mare
Gai Waterhouse has dismissed any notion of second-up syndrome with Tuesday Joy, declaring the mare will claim the middle leg of a two-state Group One stable treble on Saturday.
Waterhouse has runners in two of the three Group Ones at Flemington as well as Tuesday Joy in the Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick.
Northern Meteor is favourite for the Newmarket Handicap (1200m), Theseo dominates the Australian Cup (2000m) betting and Tuesday Joy is the clear pick in the Chipping Norton (1600m).
The mare resumed with a brilliant win in the Apollo Stakes on February 21, her first start since serving a three-month ban for bleeding in the Turnbull Stakes in October.
The Apollo Stakes was run on a heavy track but Waterhouse said the effort of rounding up the leaders had taken little toll on the mare.
"She is probably in the peak form of her life," Waterhouse said.
"She has never trained better and she has never been more focused.
"She didn't have a hard run last time - I had her fit for the race and she came through it extremely well."
Tuesday Joy's owner John Singleton has earmarked an overseas campaign for the mare which has expanded to incorporate Royal Ascot in June in between the Dubai World Cup meeting and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Corey Brown takes the ride on Saturday with Waterhouse's stable jockeys Nash Rawiller and Blake Shinn both riding in Melbourne.
Rawiller will be reunited with Theseo in the Australian Cup while Shinn is on Northern Meteor in the Newmarket.
Theseo has dominated the Australian Cup market since his all-the-way win in the St George Stakes (1800m), the traditional lead-up.
He was a comfortable 3-3/4 lengths clear of Baughurst who was followed home by Zarita and Master O'Reilly with much the same field lining up in the Australian Cup.
Theseo won the Mackinnon Stakes in the spring over the 2000m course at Flemington, something Waterhouse said would hold him in great stead.
"He's been there before and no horse worked better than him on Tuesday," she said.
"The Newmarket will be a hard race for Northern Meteor and I take the Lightning Stakes and Oakleigh Plate form very seriously.
"He's taken yonks to get fit but he will be there and I'm happy with him."
With Rawiller and Shinn at Flemington, Jay Ford and Kathy O'Hara have snared rides in two of the other Randwick features for Waterhouse.
O'Hara will ride Montana Flyer in the Surround Stakes and Kingda Ka in the Liverpool City Cup while Ford will be aboard Maybe I and Royal Discretion in the respective races.
Stable apprentice Daniel Ganderton has the mount on the stable's third Liverpool City Cup runner Faulconbridge but has lost his chance to win the Wiggle Quality with the scratching of New Zealander Ruud Van Slaats.