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She Will Reign returns at Moir with one eye on Everest

Jockey Ben Melham on She Will Reign wins the Golden Slipper race during Golden Slipper Day. (AAP Image/David Moir)
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28th September, 2017
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Golden Slipper-winning filly She Will Reign looks to continue her incredible rags to riches story this week at the Moir Stakes, kicking off the season with The Everest on the horizon.

The three-year-old has drawn out wide in barrier 11 for her return to the track in the Moir Stakes on Friday night.

A pair of barrier trials aside, the sprinter’s Group 1 is her first run since a historic Golden Slipper win back in March.

A perfectly timed jump from jockey Ben Melham saw the filly cruise past the post two-and-a-half lengths clear of Frolic to take the unlikely $2 million winner’s cheque.

For anyone who has seen her run the word unlikely might seem a little odd, but when you take into account that she was snatched up by a syndicate of local punters for just $20,000 at the Inglis Classic Sale in 2016, the story is remarkable.

I wrote in the aftermath of the Slipper about her tail to that point and the tail only looks to be growing as she lines up for the new season.

Four wins and a second-place finish from just five starts has her as one of the most exciting long-term prospects in Australian racing.

She Will Reign will hit Moonee Valley as one of the pre-race favourites, shaping up in hot competition with the Paul Snowden-trained Russian Revolution.

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While a handy $500,000 purse is nothing to be scoffed at, her return to the track is the first step towards the pinnacle of the season and the most highly anticipated race in recent memory.

The Everest is the world’s richest turf race with an insane purse of $10 million and will be run at Randwick on October 14, just two weeks away.

Trainer Gary Portelli admits being a bit lost after finally achieving the Golden Slipper win following six failed attempts, but the Everest has given his campaign new life.

“You win a Golden Slipper, for me that was a career goal, and then you think what’s next for her? And the Everest popped up,” said Portelli.

“You could not write this script.”

Portelli believes his star filly is in top shape for the Moir Stakes and beyond after a different preparation strategy yielded strong results.

“She has had a spell and come back a bigger, stronger filly,” he said.

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“She’s about 40 kilos heavier, but she will have to be to take on these top sprinters.

“Her barrier trials and work have been exactly what I wanted. We are going into the unknown a bit in this preparation but she gives every indication that she is ready to step up.”

One of the first to lock in a place for the Everest in a few weeks, another win for She Will Reign at the Moir will put her at the top of the pile as one of the race favourites.

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