Favourites Houtzen and She Will Reign have both drawn wide barriers in the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Houtzen has drawn barrier sixteen but will come into gate fourteen if all three emergencies fail to gain a start while She Will Reign has drawn barrier thirteen in the original draw but could jump from gate eleven.
Queensland filly Houtzen has tremendous gate speed and was able to cross the field from the outside barrier in the sixteen horse field to lead all of the way to win the $2m Jeep Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 14.
Jockey Jeff Lloyd will have to use the same tactics and go forward from the wide gate in the sixteen horse Golden Slipper field and trainer Toby Edmonds is still hopeful that his filly will be able to get the job done.
“The barrier makes us more hopeful than confident right now but draw a good barrier we would have been confident,” Edmonds said.
“I was quite confident in the Magic Millions even though we drew poorly.”
“Jeff (Lloyd) was on his game and got her out of the barrier and controlled it.”
“I think she is going better right now than she was before the Magic Millions so we are in a good spot.”
“She has great gate speed, so we can punch her forward and see where she gets to in the run.”
Houtzen travelled from the Gold Coast to Rosehill on Sunday and Edmonds said that the I Am Invincible filly has settle into her new surrounding okay and came through an easy gallop on Tuesday morning in great order.
“She travelled all day Sunday and got here mid-afternoon. Settled in fantastic and had a gallop here this morning, had a look around and came through that really good,” Edmonds said.
The Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig have qualified four fillies for the Golden Slipper and all will jump from single figure barriers if the three emergenecies fail to gain a start.
Blue Diamond Stakes winner Catchy drew barrier eight in the original draw while Formality came up with barrier two, Madeenaty barrier nine and Tulip barrier ten but could move in one spot at start time after the second emergency draw barrier six.
Both of John O’Shea’s Golden Slipper runners drew double figure barriers, Veranillo barrier eleven and Trekking barrier eighteen.
Godolphin’s retained rider William Buick is out from England to fill in the gap while James Doyle recovers from a broken hand and will stick with Trekking even though the Street Cry colt looks like jumping from the outside gate.
Team Snowden has mixed results at the barrier draw with Blue Diamond Stakes runner up Pariah drawing nicely at four while Invader was given barrier fifteen.
Peter and Paul Snowden are looking for back to back wins in the Golden Slipper after Capitalist scored an emphatic win last year.
Early market order for the Golden Slipper at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4 Houtzen, $5 She Will Reign, $7 Catchy, $9 Pariah, $11 Tulip, $15 Frolic, $17 Invader, $21 Formality, $26 Menari, Teaspoon, Veranillo, Single Bullet, Trekking, $34 Trapeze Alert, $51 Chauffeur, Medeenaty, Diamond Tathagata, $101 Showtime, $201 The Mission.
2017 Golden Slipper Field
No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 122 | PARIAH | Peter & Paul Snowden | Blake Shinn | 4 | 56.5kg |
2 | 1×123 | VERANILLO | John O’Shea | Brenton Avdulla | 11 | 56.5kg |
3 | 141 | TRAPEZE ARTIST | Gerald Ryan | Tim Clark | 5 | 56.5kg |
4 | 2231 | SINGLE BULLET | Gary Portelli | Tye Angland | 3 | 56.5kg |
5 | 2×1 | DIAMOND TATHAGATA | Mark Newnham | Glyn Schofield | 7 | 56.5kg |
6 | 1×2 | TREKKING | John O’Shea | William Buick | 18 | 56.5kg |
7 | 4×2512 | INVADER | Peter & Paul Snowden | Hugh Bowman | 15 | 56.5kg |
8 | 125 | MENARI | Gerald Ryan | – | 1 | 56.5kg |
9 | 1111 | CATCHY | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Craig Williams | 8 | 54.5kg |
10 | 113 | FORMALITY | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | – | 2 | 54.5kg |
11 | 1241 | TULIP | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | – | 10 | 54.5kg |
12 | 11×12 | SHE WILL REIGN | Gary Portelli | Ben Melham | 13 | 54.5kg |
13 | 2211 | FROLIC | Michael Freedman | Tommy Berry | 17 | 54.5kg |
14 | 1×13 | TEASPOON | Michael Freedman | Zac Purton | 14 | 54.5kg |
15 | 1111 | HOUTZEN | Toby Edmonds | Jeff Lloyd | 16 | 54.5kg |
16 | 13132 | MADEENATY | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Regan Bayliss | 9 | 54.5kg |
17e | 1325 | CHAUFFEUR | Gerald Ryan | Joshua Parr | 19 | 56.5kg |
18e | 2×434 | SHOWTIME | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | – | 6 | 56.5kg |
19e | 04×234 | THE MISSION | Paul Perry | – | 12 | 56.5kg |