Champion trainer Gai Waterhouse is on the verge of winning a seventh Golden Slipper Stakes with Scarlet Rain after that filly lead all of the way to take out the Group 2 $175,000 Les Johnson Memorial Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) at Randwick today.
Scarlet Rain scores an all the way win in the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
New jockey Kathy O’Hara has Scarlet Rain ($4.40 equal favourite) quickly into stride after flying the starting gates and crossed to the fence to set a moderate mid race temple before scooting away in the straight a score comfortable one length win.
Runner up In The Vangaurd ($4.40 equal favourite) had the run of the race, third on the fence and tried hard in the straight but found the winner too strong.
The ever confident Waterhouse, who broke into a Golden Slipper Chorus with her group of winning owners, is now giving Scarlet Rain a great chance of winning the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 19.
Today’s race was to see if Scarlet Rain would handle the step up to the 1200m after winning twice at 1100m and 1000m, and the Manhattan Rain filly came through in flying colours.
“How could they doubt the filly and the trainer,” Waterhouse said.
“What has she done wrong. All I know is that that filly keeps on winning races.”
“And the lovely thing is when she gets under pressure, she has that lovely big explosion.”
“I like the feel of that Slipper.”
The James Cummings trained Smart Amelia was also well in the betting at $5 but was never in the race and wound up in ninth spot.
2016 Sweet Embrace Stakes Results
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | SCARLET RAIN | Gai Waterhouse | Ms Kathy O’Hara | – | 12 | 55.5kg | $4.40EF |
| 2 | 7 | IN THE VANGUARD | John Sargent | Brenton Avdulla | 1L | 9 | 55.5kg | $4.40EF |
| 3 | 5 | TALE OF CHOICE | Gerald Ryan | Kerrin McEvoy | 2.8L | 10 | 55.5kg | $16 |
| 4 | 1 | TWIST TOPS | Kris Lees | Tommy Berry | 2.9L | 6 | 55.5kg | $7.50 |
| 5 | 6 | KENTUCKY MISS | Joseph Pride | Jason Collett | 3L | 3 | 55.5kg | $15 |
| 6 | 11 | PALOMINO | John O’Shea | William Buick | 3.7L | 4 | 55.5kg | $15 |
| 7 | 9 | GLORIETTE | John O’Shea | James McDonald | 3.9L | 7 | 55.5kg | $13 |
| 8 | 8 | SUGARPARMA | Peter Robl | Sam Clipperton | 4.8L | 11 | 55.5kg | $51 |
| 9 | 3 | SMART AMELIA | James Cummings | Hugh Bowman | 5.2L | 5 | 55.5kg | $5 |
| 10 | 12 | ALLUVION | Scott Singleton | Christian Reith | 5.4L | 1 | 55.5kg | $41 |
| 11 | 10 | OUR BELISA | John P Thompson | Tye Angland | 6.3L | 8 | 55.5kg | $31 |
| 12 | 13 | ZENALICIOUS | Les Bridge | Thomas Huet | 6.8L | 2 | 55.5kg | $10 |
| – | 4 | QUICK FEET | Peter & Paul Snowden | Blake Shinn | – | 0 | – | – |
