This Saturday, Rosehill Gardens will be hosting the world’s richest two year old race, The Golden Slipper. This is one of the premier races on Sydney’s racing calendar and is sure to be attracting a lot of attention.
Golden Slipper Stakes, set weights, two-year-old, 1200m $3,500,000
Because of the large prize money on offer, there is always a full field of 16, so a lot of emphasis is placed on the barrier draw which will be held today (Tuesday). As soon as the barrier draw is complete, there will be a lot of movement in the betting markets as punters see this as a crucial element when placing a wager on this race.
Currently super filly Earthquake is a $2 favourite and if she draws a good barrier this price is expected to come in even more. She is unbeaten in her four starts to date, including an impressive victory in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Flemington. Clearly the one to beat.
On the next line of betting is Mossfun, an impressive filly out of the Team Hawkes stable. She has tasted defeat once in her four starts and that was at the hands of Earthquake last start.
Rain is predicted for later in the week in Sydney and a soft track could be a great leveler in this re-match, as Mossfun has proven she can handle the wet conditions, with two wins on slow tracks.
In the past, horses that ran seven days prior to the Slipper have had a good record in the race, this would bring Bring Me The Maid into calculations, as she had a good win in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes on Saturday at Rosehill. This also proved she can handle rain-affected tracks, which could be relevant come Saturday.
Of the other runners, Ghibellines, the brother of the recently-retired Guelph, looked to have finally hit his straps last start when winning a Group 2 at Rosehill in impressive fashion. He looks to be improving with every start and a good showing here would be no surprise.
Unencumbered is another colt of interest, he is out of the Baker stable and has been in great form, winning five of his eight starts, including the two-year-old Magic Millions on the Gold Coast in January, must be respected on that.
The last runner I will touch on is Queensland filly Oakliegh Girl. She ran some cracking times when winning her first two starts and was quickly touted as the one to beat in the early markets for the Slipper. Unfortunately, she seemed to struggle a bit when pushed out to the 1200m mark and has since gone off the radar a little. But after been spelled and then resuming with two impressive trials, she looks primed for this and should go well.
The Group 1 BMW, 2400m, weight-for-age $1,500,000
The BMW is one of the best races on the Australian calendar for stayers. With good prize money on offer, the best stayers in Australasia generally compete in this race and this year’s field is no exception.
Racing fans will once again be treated to a re-match between It’s A Dundeel and Fiorente, arguably the best stayers in the country. When these two met last start in the Ranvet Stakes it was a bit of a non-event, as Silent Achiever stole the show. Hopefully the extra 400 metres in this race will provide a bit more of a battle between these two superstars.
The early betting has both It’s A Dundeel and Fiorente around the $4 mark, closely followed by Silent Achiever at around $5.50 but there is lots of value to be found outside of these.
Hawkspur ran a really good race in the Ranvet, charging home late to grab fourth and looks like he is really starting to hit his straps. He is currently at around $10.
Sertorius is another that could give it a shake, his three runs this prep have been good without being fantastic but he should be hitting peak fitness now and should improve, currently around $21.
One of the runners that looks to be ‘overs’ if he gets a start is Mourayan. He has been a fast-finisher in his two starts this prep and will appreciate the extra distance and, along with a bit more fitness, he should be improving and currently sits at $26 in the early betting.
This will be an interesting race and jockey/trainer’s riding tactics will be crucial. Those who ran in the Ranvet may take a different approach to this race.
Hopefully there isn’t too much rain and the majority of entries accept for the race. We should be in for a cracker!
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