Evacuation roars into Guineas contention

Evacuation has stamped himself as a major contender for the Group One Caulfield Guineas with a dominant first-up win at Rosehill.

Sent out the $1.90 favourite, Evacuation hit the line strongly as he scored a 2-3/4 length victory from Savvan ($6) with Pipeline ($13) third in a three-year-old benchmark race on Saturday.

Evacuation has firmed from in Caulfield Guineas betting from $26 to $9.

He shares favouritism with Divine Prophet and Group One winner Sacred Elixir for the Group One race on October 8.

Co-trainer Gai Waterhouse said she was confident Evacuation would improve over the 1600m Guineas distance.

“I knew where I wanted to take him. I felt all the time he’d be a miler,” Waterhouse said.

Bet with Crownbet

Waterhouse’s training partner Adrian Bott said the horse would now head to Melbourne to race in the Group Two Bill Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley on September 30.

“The Guineas has always been earmarked for him and just with the timing and everything we don’t want to rush him to the Golden Rose,” Bott said.

The stable has a strong record in the Stutt Stakes, with Almalad and Pierro winning the race in recent years.

Jockey Kerrin McEvoy said he was worried at the 400m, but the horse eventually switched on.

“He was almost like the big boy in the playground,” McEvoy said.

“He only really knuckled down in the last furlong so there’s room for improvement both up in trip and once he really gets a grasp on the game.”

Queensland breeder Ron Gilbert passed the colt in at the Inglis Easter sale and decided to race the horse.

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