Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Chris Waller’s Shinzo, a well-bred son of Snitzel from the Blue Diamond winner Samaready (More Than Ready {USA}), picked up the inside gate on Tuesday morning in the much-publicised Golden Slipper barrier draw, which took place at Rosehill Gardens.
Shinzo charged into Slipper contention as recently as last weekend when winning the G3 Pago Pago S. and, alongside the sharp filly Learning To Fly (Justify {USA}), he’s one of two prolific runners in the race for Coolmore.
Gallery: Some of the Golden Slipper runners, images courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Undefeated Learning To Fly was handed barrier four in Tuesday’s draw, which was welcomed by trainer Annabel Neasham and her team. Learning To Fly has won the R. Listed Inglis Millennium and G2 Reisling S. at her last two appearances, and she is unbeaten in three lifetime starts.
“I think the main thing (on Saturday) will be to let her be where she’s comfortable,” Neasham told Sky Racing. “They win from all barriers but it helps having that low-ish draw, which usually helps you get into the spot where you want to be.
“It’s by no means over yet. There’s still a long way to go but just having that nice, more straightforward draw does make it a bit easier and it looks like there’s quite a lot of pressure out wide.”
“They win from all barriers but it helps having that low-ish draw (four for Learning To Fly), which usually helps you get into the spot where you want to be.” - Annabel Neasham
Neasham admitted that the Godolphin colt Cylinder (Exceed And Excel) was probably the horse to beat on Saturday, and that colt has drawn inside Learning To Fly in barrier three.
Cylinder has won the G2 Todman S. and G2 Silver Slipper S. at his last two appearances, and his juvenile campaign has included Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney so far.
The colt is one of three for Godolphin in the field, with James Cummings also fielding Exploring (Brazen Beau) and Barber (Exceed And Excel) in barriers nine and eight respectively. Darley stallions also have the most number of representatives in the final field, with these three plus the Harry Angel (Ire) runner Arkansaw Kid.
Gallery: Godolphin's Golden Slipper runners, trained by James Cummings, images courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“It’s a pleasing start and the rest is up to our riders,” said Godolphin’s Jason Walsh after the good draws by Cylinder, Exploring and Barber.
“Cylinder is a very versatile horse and we’ll leave where he is in running to James (McDonald). When the gates open, there’ll be a bit of work put into how the race shapes but he arrives in great order to a gate (barrier three) that should give him a great chance.”
Newgate quintet
For the Peter and Paul Snowden operation, the barrier draw went fairly well for its trio of runners. Don Corleone (Extreme Choice) drew six, King’s Gambit (I Am Invincible) drew alongside in seven and the G3 Breeders’ Plate winner Empire Of Japan (Snitzel) drew barrier two.
Gallery: Peter and Paul Snowden's Golden Slipper runners, images courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Each of these three colts races for a China Horse Club-Newgate Farm partnership, and Paul Snowden said it was a unique battalion heading into the weekend.
“It’s the first time we’ll compete in the Slipper with multiple runners,” he said. “We’ve drawn inside 10 (with all three), so it’s a bit of a relief. You’ve got to respect all the form in the lead-up to Saturday, but the way Learning To Fly and Cylinder have drawn, they’re probably the benchmark horses this preparation as far as the 2-year-old season goes.
“I don’t think that’s going to change leading into the weekend, but it certainly gives us a few horses to have in our sights late and hopefully we can be a little bit too good.”
“It’s the first time we’ll compete in the Slipper with multiple runners. We’ve drawn inside 10 (with all three), so it’s a bit of a relief.” - Paul Snowden
For Henry Field, the managing director of Newgate Farm, the Snowden colts are three of five he has interests in among the final field. The Russian Revolution colt Red Resistance, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, is another in barrier 17, while Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) takes up the first emergency spot in barrier 16.
“I think Red Resistance is a very fast horse with massive cruising speed,” Field said. “You know he’s going to put a lot of speed on, and I think he’ll be very hard to run down.
“Cylinder is definitely the horse to beat. The colt’s form is very strong but I do genuinely feel Red Resistance will give the ownership, Sir Owen Glenn and his crew, a shout for a very long time. He’s a very fit and very fast racehorse.”
Red Resistance, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, drew barrier 17 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Platinum draws 11
For the Waterhouse-Bott yard, the Gimcrack S. winner Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar) drew barrier 11, which was slightly better than her stablemate Red Resistance.
“She’s drawn well,” Bott said. “She’ll look to be positive and put herself in the race. She gets the blinkers on which will naturally help because she travels very well in them with a little bit more focus. She’s versatile and very genuine, and she’s going there in good shape.”
Platinum Jubilee, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, drew barrier 11 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Like most, Bott said Cylinder was the horse to beat on Saturday.
“He’s knocked off both our respective chances in their lead-up races so we’ve a lot of respect for him,” the trainer said. “He’s a talented horse and, taking a line through our two horses, he’s the one to beat.”
Lindsay Park pair
Arkansaw Kid and Little Brose (Per Incanto {USA}) represent a dual hand this Saturday for Lindsay Park Racing. Arkansaw Kid drew barrier 13 for co-trainers Ben and JD Hayes, while Little Brose, a Blue Diamond winner and the only Group 1-winning hero in the field, drew barrier five.
Gallery: Lindsay Park's Golden Slipper runners, images courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Little Brose will have jockey Michael Dee aboard, as he did in the Blue Diamond on February 25, while Arkansaw Kid, who was third to his stablemate in that race, will have Nash Rawiller.
Little Brose has history against him in completing the Blue Diamond-Golden Slipper double. Few horses have pulled it off, with Sepoy managing it in 2011, the first time since Courtza (Pompeii Court {USA}) did it in 1989.
History favours Shinzo?
Saturday’s G1 Golden Slipper will be the 67th edition of the race, which kicked off in 1957 worth £10,000 and is today worth $5 million.
If recent history is anything to go by, Tuesday’s draw favours the likes of inside runners Shinzo (barrier one) and Cylinder (barrier three), with the last two winners jumping from those respective gates.
Further back, Farnan won from gate 12, drawn this time by Blanc De Blanc (I Am Invincible), while Kiamichi (Sidestep) and Estijaab (Snitzel) both won from 14. Barrier 14 this year was handed to the Trapeze Artist filly Facile.
However, since 2007, barrier one has been the most-winning draw in the Golden Slipper, producing the goods on five occasions. Barriers 11 and 14 have produced two winners apiece, with the majority of Slipper winners in recent history arriving from either low or relatively high gates.
Saturday’s track is also likely to be vastly improved on recent years, with all Golden Slippers since 2017 run on either a Soft or Heavy surface.
