Plagiarism proves too strong in Rosehill's Up And Coming Stakes

Plagiarism demonstrated his class in the Group 3 $250,000 Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, outclassing his rivals to break his maiden status.

Co-trainer Adrian Bott indicated that the gelding operation post his two-year-old campaign was likely the catalyst for Plagiarism's improved performance.

"We have had him in all the biggest races so far, we haven't run him in maidens, and that was his first win today,'' Bott remarked. "Last preparation we chased the Golden Slipper dream but it just wasn't happening for him. I feel having the horse gelded has helped him, definitely. He was impressive today."

Under Regan Bayliss, the $8 chance dictated terms throughout the race and maintained a comfortable margin, crossing the line nearly a length ahead of the fast-closing Genesis Runner ($4.40). Hostwin King ($17) followed in third, a further half-length back.

The favourite, Savagram ($2.30), a stablemate, finished fourth, doing its best work in the closing stages.

Bayliss informed Racing And Sports that he felt secure in the saddle a considerable distance from the finish line, as Plagiarism was travelling smoothly.

"He is a horse that can roll along at a nice speed and quicken off that which is a really good attribute to have,'' Bayliss explained. "When he got there so easily and got into a great rhythm I thought it was going to take a good one to run him down. He was just too good. He keeps improving, this horse and that was a really good confidence-boosting win. He's still only lightly raced and is on the way up."

Bott, in partnership with Gai Waterhouse, confirmed that plans for races like the Tapp-Craig and Callander-Presnell would be reassessed following this significant win.

"We will look at the Golden Rose,'' Bott shared. "There is probably a sweet spot getting out to 1400m for this horse. I thought he might have been a step below the top three-year-olds but he was very impressive today. He is a horse that has always shown natural speed and brilliance. We wanted to see him utilise that and he executed that perfectly. It was a great effort by him first-up with a big weight and he has obviously taken improvement from the run. We will see how he comes through this and look to where we aim up but everything is on the table at present."

Bott also praised the effort of Savagram.

"I thought he was excellent,'' Bott commented. "It was his second career start and that was probably what showed today. When the speed increased from the 600m he just wanted to lay out slightly under pressure. But I thought he knuckled down really well and was excellent through the line. He is going to keep improving as he gets up over further and I thought it was a very good run for where he is at in his career."

The filly Savvy Diamond, also from the Waterhouse-Bott stable, faced interference early and finished eighth.

Betting markets for the race will likely see significant shifts following this impressive performance.