Richard and Michael Freedman’s Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside makes his three-year-old debut this weekend at Kembla Grange as the short-priced San Domenico Stakes 2021 favourite.

The autumn’s Golden Slipper hero Stay Inside returns to racing in Sydney’s Group 3 San Domenico Stakes on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

The headline event on the Sydney race card, moved from Rosehill to Kembla Grange this season due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Group 3 $160,000 XXXX San Domenico Stakes (1100m) features a small but class field of new season three-year-olds.

The early withdrawal of the star Jamie Richards-trained New Zealander Sword Of State, who will instead be saved for a first-up run in the Listed Heritage Stakes on September 25, has seen the San Domenico Stakes odds firm on returning Extreme Choice colt Stay Inside.

A winner of three of his four starts to date, the $2 million earner is into $2.35 through Ladbrokes.com.au to salute first-up on a Soft-track on the back of two good Randwick trials.

He was last seen defeating Anamoe by nearly two lengths on a Soft (7) at Rosehill in late March to take out the $3.5 million Golden Slipper and Tommy Berry reunites with the star first-up on Saturday.

History suggests that being a Golden Slipper hero at two does not equate to a star three-year-old season, but co-trainer Michael Freedman is hoping Stay Inside can overcome the hoodoo this campaign.

“The records are there I suppose, there is some veracity to say a lot of Slipper winners don’t return but you need to take it on an individual basis,” he told Racenet this week.

“Stay Inside is not the same size and shape he was as a two-year-old. He is not an overly big horse, he never will be, but he is definitely a bit stronger now.

“You can’t ignore the fact a lot of Slipper winners don’t seem to come back but I’m encouraged by the physical improvement this colt has made so since his two-year-old season.

“You obviously want and hope he comes back as good if not better.

“I’m not going to make any predictions about Stay Inside but all I can say is I’m very happy with what I have seen of him so far.

“He’s done all he’s been asked to do in his two barrier trials but until they can put it down on race day you always have that little query in the back of your mind.

“But he’s had a nice, solid foundation and it’s time to go to the races.”

Tierce (1991) was the last horse to complete the Golden Slipper – San Domenico Stakes double.

Close second elect in San Domenico Stakes betting this spring at $2.80 is fellow top performer, Paulele for Godolphin.

The James Cummings-trained Dawn Approach colt is four-from-six to date and boasts the fitness edge having won the Listed The Rosebud (1100m) first-up in dominant fashion on August 7.

James McDonald continues associations on the weekend with Paulele drawn well in barrier five and dropping two kilos from his The Rosebud winning weight to 57kg at set weights plus penalties in the San Domenico.

The other single-figure fancy drawn in barrier two with Regan Bayliss to ride is Remarque ($4.60), the Hawkes Racing-trained son of Snitzel coming off a third in The Rosebud.

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott saddle-up The Rosebud runner-up In The Congo ($10) from barrier three at a nice price, while at 30/1 the rails-drawn Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Captivant is one to keep an eye on.

Hugh Bowman rides Captivant fresh in the Group 3, the Capitalist colt having run third to Anamoe in the Group 1 Inglis Sires’ over 1400m before a last start Group 1 Champagne Stakes victory over a mile at Randwick in late April.

The San Domenico Stakes is set to run as Kembla Grange Race 6 at 2:30pm (AEST) on Saturday and full markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au are available here.

2021 San Domenico Stakes Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.