Group One Plans for Romantic Touch

Sydney – Gooree Stud homebred Romantic Touch gave his young sire Northern Meteor his seventh consecutive Wednesday metropolitan winner when he made a one act affair of the juvenile event at Canterbury on Wednesday.

Prepared by Gai Waterhouse, Romantic Touch was an impressive winner at his previous start at Warwick Farm on May 1, but his trainer opted to remove his blinkers for this longer 1550 metre assignment and the results were explosive.

Romantic Touch travelled smoothly in the lead for Nash Rawiller before sprinting quickly coming to the turn where he opened up a gap on the field.

From that point the race was over as he cruised home to win by a widening seven and a half lengths, his overall record now two wins from four starts.

“I’ve always thought he’d be going to Brisbane for the Group I JJ Atkins (June 8) and to be capable of that, he would need to win a race like this impressively which he has,” said Waterhouse.

A big strong gelding, very typical of his female family which is noted for producing big horses, Romantic Touch is the second winner for Dearness, a metropolitan winning half-sister by Snippets to multiple Group I winner Desert War and Group I ATC Rosehill Guineas winner Laser Hawk.

Gooree Stud also have a full yearling brother to Romantic Touch in the pipeline.

With 12 first crop winners, Northern Meteor has edged ahead of Sebring on 11 winners to lead the Australian First Season Sires List by winners.