Trainer Gerald Ryan has confirmed that talented filly Fireworks remains a chance of contesting the 2015 Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on March 21.
Fireworks is still a chance of running in the 2015 Golden Slipper Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Fireworks currently sits at 13th in the Golden Slipper order of entry and is assured of a start in the Group 1 event, but was not originally included in the nominations and connections would have to pay the late entry fee of $150,000 to get her into the race.
The Snitzel filly returned to racing with a third place finish behind English and Ottoman in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on March 7 and Ryan said that the two-year-old did enough to convince him that she is worthy of a place in the Golden Slipper field.
“I am still thinking about having a crack at it,” Ryan said.
“She has run good sectionals in her past three starts that measure up with any of the two-year-old sectionals this year and she has done well since her race on Saturday.
“I think that she has probably improved a little bit off it because she has had five weeks between runs on the water walker.
“She ran the best split in the race the other day and we will see how she works on Monday morning and if we are happy on Monday morning it is up to John whether he wants to pay up the money or not.”
Fireworks made her racing debut with a second place finish at Gosford on December 29 and stormed home late after missing the start to finish third behind Holler in the Hyland Race Colours Plate (1100m) at Royal Randwick on January 17 before she scored her maiden race win in the Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on January 31.
Ryan has been thrilled with the improvement that Fireworks has made every time she has returned to the races this preparation and he believes that she is the equal of any other filly heading into the Golden Slipper.
“She has just kept improving,” Ryan said.
“She went from getting beat in a two-year-old maiden at Gosford to running huge at Randwick and running the best split all day, to winning the Widden and the other day if she had got clearer earlier she would have worried the winner.
“I think that she is as good as any two-year-old filly in Sydney at the moment.”
Fireworks is currently available at 2015 Golden Slipper odds of $17 with Ladbrokes Australia, while Vancouver ($3.20) remains a clear favourite from Exosphere ($4.60) and Headwater ($11).
