Tony McEvoy believes his filly Oohood is the country’s classiest maiden and hopes the Golden Slipper placegetter can finally break through with a well-deserved win Saturday week in the 2018 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes.
Oohood will press onto the 2018 ATC Sires’ Produce but stablemate Sunlight (pictured) is off to the paddock after their Golden Slipper placings. Photo: Steve Hart.
It was a bitter sweet result last weekend for McEvoy in the Group 1 $3.5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) as his two runners Sunlight and Oohood ran third and second respectively behind the Team Hawkes-trained winner Estijaab in an all-filly trifecta.
While Sunlight loomed as the winner and Oohood made an eye-catching late run to also challenge, the duo had to settle for the place positions in the world’s richest race for two-year-olds.
For Oohood it was another outstanding run and took her career record up to three seconds and two thirds from five starts, her prize money now up in excess of $800,000.
She was also third past the post to Written By in Melbourne’s Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) in late February before the Slipper, which was her maiden Sydney assignment.
Plans are to step the well-bred daughter of I Am Invincible up in distance on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’, April 7, at Royal Randwick in the Group 1 $1 million Inglis Sires’ (1400m).
“She’s pulled up really well, trotted up lovely this morning and while she left a bit of feed, that’s to be expected because she ran her heart out for us yesterday,” McEvoy told Racing Victoria on Sunday.
“Soundness-wise she’s in great shape so if she recovers well in the next four or five days we will go to the Sires.
“She just doesn’t have much gate speed but her race-day manners are getting better and she’s on the verge of winning a good one and I think she’ll really love the 1400m.”
The Golden Slipper form has held-up in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes results plenty of times in recently years including the David Vandyke-trained filly Yankee Rose in 2016 who improved on a lead-up second to win.
The fillies have dominated the ATC Sires’ over the past decade including four wins since 2010.
Guelph was the other ATC Sires’ winning filly out of the Golden Slipper having run fourth in 2013.
Current all-in Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au are an open affair this autumn with Seabrook the narrow $7 favourite.
A fellow Golden Slipper graduate, Mick Price’s daughter of Hinchinbrook won Randwick’s Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) before running just two lengths back fifth to Estijaab in the big one.
McEvoy’s stablemates Oohood ($8.50) and Sunlight ($9) follow in the Sires’ Produce betting markets rounding out the single-figure fancies for the juveniles’ clash.
One-time Golden Slipper favourite Sunlight however will miss the race, the Zoustar filly heading straight to the paddock instead having won five races on the trot before last Saturday’s third placing.
“Sunlight has pulled up very well also, a bit tired but she’s off to the paddock in any case,” McEvoy confirmed.
“I’ll get her home over the next week and she can have a well-earned rest.”
To back the fillies to beat home the boys in the Inglis’ Sires 2018 results this carnival at the top autumn racing odds online head to Ladbrokes.com.au.
