A capacity field of 16 two-year-olds plus one emergency will contest this Saturday’s $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill after the acceptances for the world’s richest race for juveniles was released this morning.
Darley-owned colt Sepoy has been the dominant favourite to become the 2011 Golden Slipper winner since betting on the autumn feature opened.
Peter Snowden’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner won his first four starts in succession before suffering defeat in the Todman Stakes when beaten by fellow Golden Slipper rival Anthony Cumming’s Smart Missile at Rosehill on March 19.
Despite the defeat, which was due to the unsuitably wet conditions on the day, Sepoy is still set to start at the top of the Golden Slipper odds come race day.
Snowden also chose to accept his smart Commands filly Altar into this year’s Golden Slipper field after she gained a ballot exemption with her upset victory in the Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill last Saturday.
The other two-year-old to earn a Golden Slipper ballot exemption last weekend was the Bart Cummings’ trained Salade.
A previously unraced son of boom sire Snitzel, Salade took out the Pago Pago Stakes on debut and is one of two guaranteed Golden Slipper starters for Cummings.
Luke Nolen will take the Golden Slipper mount on Salade with Corey Brown, the jockey that rode Salade to victory in the Pago Pago, already booked to ride Gerald Ryan’s Snitzel filly Hot Snitzel on Saturday.
Cummings will also be represented by his unbeaten Fastnet Rock filly Empress Rock while stablemate, Starcraft colt Do You Think, is the sole Golden Slipper Stakes emergency this year.
The Cups King is vying for his fifth Golden Slipper win having trained four previous Golden Slipper champions, the most recent being Century Miss back in 1979.
If any of the Cummings’ contingent claim an upset win in the Golden Slipper on Saturday they will make history as the most lightly-raced Golden Slipper winner.
Holding the current record is Toy Show who won the 1975 Golden Slipper at just his third career start.
Another trainer with multiple Golden Slipper acceptors this year is John O’Shea who has Todman Stakes third placegetter Foxwedge and up-and-coming More Than Ready filly Elite Falls, upset winner over Satin Shoes in the Reisling Stakes on March 19.
Other notable Golden Slipper hopefuls include Clarry Conner’s Satin Shoes, one time favourite Karuta Queen and the Gai Waterhouse-trained Shared Reflections.
Horses that were not paid up for following nomination stage for the Golden Slipper were the Snowden-trained trio of Aerobatics, Anise and Helmet; beaten Magic Night Stakes favourite Pane In The Glass; and Anthony Cummings’ Houston Benefactor.
The 2011 Golden Slipper barrier draw will be conducted at midday today and published right here at Races.com.au so stay tuned.
2011 AAMI Golden Slipper Final Field
| No | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEPOY | Kerrin McEvoy | Peter Snowden | 56.5kg |
| 2 | SMART MISSILE | Glen Boss | Anthony Cummings | 56.5kg |
| 3 | RUNNING TALL | Dwayne Dunn | Danny O’Brien | 56.5kg |
| 4 | FOXWEDGE | Nash Rawiller | John O’Shea | 56.5kg |
| 5 | MASTHEAD | —— | Lee Freedman | 56.5kg |
| 6 | SALADE | —— | Bart Cummings | 56.5kg |
| 7 | HOT SNITZEL | Corey Brown | Gerald Ryan | 56.5kg |
| 8 | SATIN SHOES | Hugh Bowman | Clarry Conners | 54.5kg |
| 9 | ELITE FALLS | Jim Cassidy | John O’Shea | 54.5kg |
| 10 | KARUTA QUEEN | Tommy Berry | Neville Layt | 54.5kg |
| 11 | ALTAR | Josh Parr | Peter Snowden | 54.5kg |
| 12 | SHARED REFELCTIONS | Damien Oliver | Gai Waterhouse | 54.5kg |
| 13 | SARAMENHA | Nathan Berry | Gerald Ryan | 54.5kg |
| 14 | FAST AND SEXY | Glyn Schofield | Chris Waller | 54.5kg |
| 15 | MOSHEEN | —— | Leon Corstens | 54.5kg |
| 16 | EMPRESS ROCK | Michael Rodd | Bart Cummings | 54.5kg |
| 17 (1st Em) | DO YOU THINK | —— | Bart Cummings | 54.5kg |
