Michael Freedman’s Golden Slipper Stakes second placed filly Frolic is current favourite to continue her gun autumn with a win in Saturday’s Inglis Sires’ Stakes 2017 at Royal Randwick.
Golden Slipper runner-up Frolic is favourite in early 2017 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes betting for this Saturday at Royal Randwick. Photo: Steve Hart.
The daughter of Husson has finished top two in all five of her career starts to date leading up to a possible run on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’ in the $1 million Group 1 Inglis Sires’ (1400m).
Pre-field markets at Ladbrokes.com.au on the 2017 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes is an open affair, but the bookies are taking no chances with the $5 early favourite Frolic.
She won two on the trot at Randwick earlier this prep including the late upset over She Will Reign in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m).
She Will Reign turned the tables in the $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) on March 18 on a Heavy (10) track, with Frolic second in the world’s richest race for two-year-olds.
There is a chance she will now back-up with a return to Randwick stepping out over more distance in the Sires’ Produce Stakes.
Fillies have an excellent recent record over the boys in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes with four wins in the past six years, including Yankee Rose (2016) last Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
The form Frolic brings into the race is identical to that of Yankee Rose last year who saluted for the Inglis Sires’ punters as the successful favourite on the back of a Golden Slipper second.
The Golden Slipper Stakes has produced more ATC Sires’ Produce winners than any other lead-up including three in the past five years.
The other two best fancied two-year-olds in futures Inglis Sires’ Produce odds online this autumn are also Golden Slipper graduates with Menari ($7) and Tulip ($8) having run fourth and third respectively.
Snitzel colt Menari is the shortest-priced of the male juveniles in the mix this year chasing his first black-type success and out to hand trainer Gerald Ryan with a second win in the race after his success with Peggy Jean in 2014.
Tulip represents the Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes winning stable of 2017 Lindsay Park, the daughter of Pierro coming off a string of very good runs.
She backed up from a fourth to her stablemate Catchy in the Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield in late February to win her Sydney debut in the Group3 Magic Night Stakes (1200m).
That earned her a seven day back-up into the Golden Slipper field where she ran five lengths away third on the Heavy (10) track.
Co-trainer David Hayes prepared back-to-back Sires’ Produce winners with Tristalove (1993) and St. Covet (1997), with Tulip shaping up as a genuine chance for him to break the drought this autumn.
Another exciting prospect in the race this season is the undefeated Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Not A Single Doubt gelding Gunnison.
He has won both career starts to date including the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) in early March, comes off a lead-up trial win from March 22 and is highly-rated by the stable according to owner James Harron.
“I can genuinely tell you that Peter thinks this horse is a huge chance on Saturday in the Group 1 Inglis Sires,” Harron, who paid $850,000 at the 2016 Australian Easter Yearling Sale and who will put the horse up for sale at the Inglis The Chairman’s Sale, told Thoroughbred Daily News this week.
“He’s a sensational physical, but at this stage we are purely focused on stallion prospects, so as a gelding he just does not fit in with our program.”
Co-trainer Peter Snowden, a three-time winner of the race since 2011, agreed Menari was a big danger this weekend.
“Gunnison has gone from strength to strength since being gelded, I believe him to have improved again since the Todman and I feel he is a genuine winning chance in the Inglis Sires,” he said.
Check out the early Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes 2017 odds on your top two-year-old selections now at Ladbrokes.com.au.
