The Annabel Neasham-trained filly Learning To Fly will be looking to retain her undefeated status and join an elite list of past unbeaten champions when she lines-up from a favourable barrier four draw in Saturday’s coveted Group 1 $5 million Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens.
Star filly Learning To Fly is one of the best in 2023 Golden Slipper betting for this weekend at Rosehill. Photo: Steve Hart.
A capacity line-up of 16 confirmed starters plus a sole emergency in the Chris Waller-trained Militarize take to the track in the weekend’s feature event in Sydney, with updated Golden Slipper odds at Ladbrokes firming on the $5 second elect Learning To Fly.
The brilliant young daughter of Justify is the only undefeated two-year-old in this year’s Golden Slipper Stakes final field.
She won the Group 3 Widden Stakes on debut before two more victories in the $2 million Inglis Millennium and Group 2 Reisling Stakes ahead of her acid test on Saturday.
Jockey Chad Schofield retains the ride on Learning To Fly who will join the likes of Vancouver (2015), Pierro (2012) and Sebring (2008) as unbeaten Slipper winners from the past two decades.
Race favourite sitting top of the Golden Slipper betting markets also coming up trumps with a gun barrier three draw is the James Cummings-trained Cylinder at $3.
One of Australasia’s premier hoops, James McDonald, partners the well-backed Exceed And Excel colt having ridden him for a last start victory in the Group 2 Todman Stakes.
Prior to that Cylinder was a first-up winner of the Group 2 Silver Slipper and brings in some hot form lines that the bookies are punters are both tipping to stack up in the 67th edition of the world’s richest race for two-year-olds.
Cummings won the race back in 2019 with the filly Kiamichi and also saddles-up two further chances in Golden Gift winner Barber ($26) and roughie hope Exploring ($81) who were the respective Blue Diamond Prelude winners before running unplaced in the Group 1 in Melbourne on February 25.
The Blue Diamond Stakes at Sandown was won by the Ben & JD Hayes-trained Little Brose who was ridden to victory by hoop of the hour Michael Dee.
Dee stays on the talented son of Per Incanto this weekend as Little Brose heads north for the Slipper drawing well with barrier five.
Current Slipper markets have the Blue Diamond winner at $17 to win his first Sydney assignment and become the first juvenile since Sepoy (2011) to complete the interstate Group 1 2YO’s double.
Sepoy was prepared for his success that year by Peter Snowden who also won in 2016 with Capitalist.
Snowden returns in the hunt for a third piece of Slipper silverware this year partnering with son Paul to saddle-up three runners led in betting by King’s Gambit ($8) in barrier seven.
The other runners for Team Snowden in 2023 are Empire Of Japan at 50/1 and the better fancied Blue Diamond runner-up Don Corleone ($11) drawn barriers two and six respectively.
The other best out of the Blue Diamond results racing in Saturday’s Golden Slipper is the third-placed Arkansaw Kid who is forgotten in the markets at 70/1 despite a good effort in Melbourne behind his winning stablemate.
The rails run from barrier one belongs to Chris Waller’s Pago Pago Stakes winner Shinzo ($10).
Since 2006 barrier one has produced five Golden Slipper winners including the filly Fireburn last autumn with Shinzo out to be the next with jet-setter Ryan Moore flying in for the ride.
Waller also has his Sweet Embrace Stakes winning Capitalist filly Lazzago ($41) as a confirmed runner in gate with Kerrin McEvoy booked for the ride.
The extreme outside alley in this year’s race meanwhile was drawn by the speedy Red Resistance who will come into 16 of 16.
The Group 3 Canonbury Stakes winner was last seen finishing second in the Todman and represents seven-time winning Slipper trainer Gai Waterhouse who is after her second win in partnership with Adrian Bott.
Along with Red Resistance, who is at $10 to cross and win with Brett Prebble aboard, the Waterhouse/Bott stable are also represented by their Gimcrack Stakes winning Zoustar filly Platinum Jubilee ($26) coming off three straight second placings this prep.
The Golden Slipper Stakes 2023 is one of an incredible five Group 1 races taking place at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
2023 Golden Slipper Stakes Field & Barriers
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21×21 | LITTLE BROSE | Ben & JD Hayes | Michael Dee | 5 | 56.5kg | |||
| 2 | 11×19 | BARBER | James Cummings | Nash Rawiller | 8 | 56.5kg | |||
| 3 | 1×03 | ARKANSAW KID | Ben & JD Hayes | Jye McNeil | 13 | 56.5kg | |||
| 4 | 142 | DON CORLEONE | Peter & Paul Snowden | Hugh Bowman | 6 | 56.5kg | |||
| 5 | 22×11 | CYLINDER | James Cummings | James McDonald | 3 | 56.5kg | |||
| 6 | 112 | RED RESISTANCE | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Brett Prebble | 17 | 56.5kg | |||
| 7 | 321 | SHINZO | Chris Waller | Ryan Moore | 1 | 56.5kg | |||
| 8 | 1×23 | KING’S GAMBIT | Peter & Paul Snowden | Mark Zahra | 7 | 56.5kg | |||
| 9 | 1×364 | EMPIRE OF JAPAN | Peter & Paul Snowden | Sam Clipperton | 2 | 56.5kg | |||
| 10 | 111 | LEARNING TO FLY | Annabel Neasham | Chad Schofield | 4 | 54.5kg | |||
| 11 | 1×222 | PLATINUM JUBILEE | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 11 | 54.5kg | |||
| 12 | 13×232 | BLANC DE BLANC | Michael Freedman | Damian Lane | 12 | 54.5kg | |||
| 13 | 1417 | EXPLORING | James Cummings | Brenton Avdulla | 9 | 54.5kg | |||
| 14 | 141 | LAZZAGO | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 10 | 54.5kg | |||
| 15 | 2201 | STEEL CITY | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Regan Bayliss | 15 | 54.5kg | |||
| 16 | 2×522 | FACILE | Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou | Ryan Maloney | 14 | 54.5kg | |||
| 17e | 13 | MILITARIZE (NZ) | Chris Waller | 16 | 56.5kg |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
