A total of 2200 rising 2-year-olds (1151 colts, 1069 fillies) have been nominated for the 2023 G1 Golden Slipper, which is worth $6 million (including a $1 million bonus to connections if their horse wins two key lead-up races and the Slipper), and will be run at Rosehill on March 18, 2023.
Over the next eight months, that number will be whittled down to a final field 16, plus four emergencies, with the order of entry determined by prizemoney.
As the Road to the Slipper begins, TDN AusNZ has analysed the nominations.
Not surprisingly, Yarraman Park resident I Am Invincible, who currently leads the Australian Sires’ Premiership, has the most nominations with 96 (from a crop of 146 live foals). Among his nominations is his colt out of Suspicieuse (Fr) (Elusive City {USA}), which made $1.9 million at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The half-brother to G2 Champagne Classic hero Dubious was sold to Coolmore Australia.
‘Vinnie’ also has a Pinocchio (Encosta De Lago) filly, which fetched $2 million at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. She was bought by The Yellow Brick Road Company / Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA) and is a half-sister to Group 2 and The Everest winner Classique Legend (Not A Single Doubt) and Group 2 winner and Group 1 placegetter Aethero (Sebring).
Yearling colt by I Am Invincible out of Suspicieuse | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Widden Stud resident Zoustar, who recently sired his 150th seasonal winner, has 92 nominations from 143 live foals. Among his long list of nominations is the colt from Solar Charged (Charge Forward), who was the highest-priced yearling in Australia in 2022. He is the younger brother of the brilliant mare Sunlight. Offered by Widden Stud, she was bought by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $3 million.
Newgate Farm’s ultra-consistent stallion Deep Field, who recently created history after he became the most successful Hong Kong sire ever by seasonal earnings, surpassing Medaglia D’Oro (USA), has 85 nominations from 173 live foals.
Deep Field’s highest-priced yearling of the season is among the nominations. The colt out of Capital Commander (Commands) was knocked down to Hawkes Racing for $1 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He is a half-brother to the Hawkes-trained 3-year-old Clemenceau (Capitalist), who has won four of his six starts.
Deep Field’s barnmate, Capitalist, who won the Golden Slipper in 2016, has 79 nominations from 154 live foals. His $750,000 yearling – a colt from Isabella (Poet’s Voice {GB}) from the family of stakes winners Keep The Faith and Pistols (Dehere {USA}) – will be given his chance by Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace to make it to the Slipper.
Yearling colt by Capitalist out of Isabella | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Arrowfield Stud’s multiple Champion Sire Snitzel is again well-represented with 77 nominations from 109 live foals. Snitzel had two yearlings top $2 million at this year’s sales, and they have both been nominated. A colt out of Group 1 winner Response (Charge Forward) was bought by Magnier at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $2,250,000. He is a brother to the Golden Slipper victress Estijaab. The second is a colt from Group 1 winner Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA}), which was bought from the same sale by Hawkes Racing for $2.2 million.
Russian Revolution – a son of Snitzel who stands at Newgate Farm and is the leading first-season sire – has 73 nominations from 156 live foals. Among Russian Revolution’s Slipper hopefuls is the filly out of Nothin Leica Storm (Anabaa {USA}), which made $600,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. A half-sister to last year’s Golden Slipper hero Stay Inside, from the family of G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Wonderful World, she is trained by Annabel Neasham.
Snitzel’s barnmate Dundeel (NZ) has 67 nominations from 169 live foals, including his filly out of Group 1 victress Stay With Me (Street Cry {Ire}). She is a half-sister to Listed placegetter Waltz on By (I Am Invincible) and was purchased by Hawkes Racing for $1.7 million at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
Hawkes Racing also went to $1 million for a colt from Group 3 winner Honesty Prevails (Redoute’s Choice), making him a half-brother to Group 1 winner Profondo (Deep Impact {Jpn}). That colt has also been nominated.
Darley Australia’s evergreen sire Exceed And Excel, whose daughter Overreach won the Slipper in 2013, has 61 nominations from just 84 live foals. His highest-priced yearling for the season was a colt out of the American stakes-winning mare Devious Rumor (USA) (Street Boss {USA}), who made $1.2 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He was bought by James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership and is trained by Michael Freedman.
Yearling colt by Exceed And Excel out of Devious Rumor | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Golden Slipper-winning sire Written Tycoon, who stands at Yulong Stud, is well-represented. His colt from Gracie's Lass (Redoute’s Choice), who fetched $1.4 million at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, is one of the sire’s 56 nominations from 107 live foals. The colt was bought by Magnier and is a half-brother to Blue Diamond winner Artorius (Flying Artie).
Pierro raced to Golden Slipper glory in 2012, before establishing himself as one of the country’s top sires. A resident at Coolmore Australia, Pierro has 53 nominations from 106 live foals.
He had two yearlings make seven figures and both are nominated. At the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Ciaron Maher Bloodstock paid $1.5 million for a colt out of Group 3 victress Ravi (Redoute’s Choice). He is bred on the successful Pierro x Redoute’s Choice cross that has produced multiple stakes-winners, including Group 1 winners Arcadia Queen, Regal Power and Levendi. Magnier paid $1 million for a colt from the US Group 3 winner Ben’s Duchess (USA) (Munnings {USA}) at the same sale. His Extreme Choice half-brother has won three of five starts in New Zealand.
Boom Newgate Farm-based stallion Extreme Choice, who has already sired a Slipper winner, has 20 nominations from his small crop of 31 live foals. His highest-priced yearling, a colt out of six-time winner To Dubawi Go (Dubawi {Ire}), has been nominated by Snowden Racing. He was sold at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale to China Horse Club / Newgate Bloodstock / Trilogy for $825,000.
This year’s Slipper winner, Fireburn, is a daughter of Rebel Dane, who has just one nomination in the 2023 edition from his crop of seven – a filly from Miss Von Costa (Von Costa De Hero), who was nominated by trainer Kevin Corstens. The filly, a relation to dual stakes winner Miss Badoura (Kingston Rule {USA}), didn’t go through a sale. Rebel Dane’s half-brother, a Hallowed Crown homebred colt for Laurel Oak Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Goodwood Farm, has also been nominated.
But as Rebel Dane showed us in 2022, it only takes one runner to win!
Fireburn winning the 2022 Golden Slipper | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
First-season sires
At this time of year, there is plenty of optimism surrounding sires that will have their first runners as 2-year-olds come the new season.
A host of first-season sires have some smartly bred yearlings nominated for the Slipper, and its stating the obvious that if one of their progeny was to win the Slipper - one of Australia’s most iconic races - their value will skyrocket.
Widden Stud’s young sire Trapeze Artist, a multiple Group 1-winning son of Snitzel, has 67 nominations from 129 live foals, including Trapeze Warrior. He was bought by trainer Phillip Stokes for $850,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. His Written Tycoon half-sister, Written Swoosh, ran second on debut in the G3 Blue Diamond Preview for fillies in January. Trapeze Warrior hails from the family of multiple-stakes winner Away Game (Snitzel) and Listed winner Elusive Wonder (Snitzel).
Arrowfield Stud resident The Autumn Sun has 65 nominations from 102 live foals, including his $950,000 yearling colt out of the Group 3 heroine Duchess Kate (NZ) (Savabeel), which was snapped up Bahen Bloodstock/Kris Lees Racing at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The Lees-trained colt is related to dual Group 2 winner Saavoya (NZ) (Savabeel) and Group 1 victress Eva Grace (NZ) (Vice Regal {NZ}).
Yearling colt by The Autumn Sun out of Duchess Kate (NZ) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Widden Stud-based stallion Written By, who ran fourth in the Golden Slipper in 2018, has 41 yearlings nominated from his crop of 106 live foals. His most expensive yearling for the season was a colt from the multiple Listed winner The Messina Nymph (Commands). He is related to dual Listed winner Balm In Gilead (Rubiton) and was purchased by Bjorn Baker Racing/Clarke Bloodstock Pty Ltd (FBAA)/Cunningham Thoroughbreds at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Harry Angel (Ire), a shuttler for Darley, has 39 nominations from 92 live foals. Among them is Monte Braveheart, a son of Chicquita (Commands), who was bought by Roughwood Park for $460,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The colt is a grandson of the ill-fated two-time stakes winner Prisoner Of Love (Canny Lad). Her dam, Professionelle (NZ) (Centaine), has also thrown stakes winners Hoystar (Danzero), King Of Prussia and Sportsman (Supremo {USA}).
Coolmore’s Triple Crown hero Justify (USA), who won’t be returning to Australia this season, has 38 nominations from 96 live foals. His $1 million colt from the two-time winner and multiple placegetter Maastricht (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) has been nominated by his purchaser, Hawkes Racing, who paid $1 million for at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. He is a half-brother to Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and dual Group 1 winner Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible).
