Golden Slipper order of entry announced
The Australian Turf Club released the latest order of entry for the G1 Golden Slipper on Monday.
As expected, boom 2-year-old Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) heads the leaderboard with Michael Freedman-trained Manaal (Tassort) and Straight Charge (Written By) also carrying a ballot exemption. The Waterhouse-Bott team have four horses in the top 10: Storm Boy, Straight Charge, Shangri La Express (Alabama Express) and Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) with the latter two in five and six respectively. The Clinton McDonald-trained Hayasugi (Royal Meeting {Ire}) is fourth, while Team Snowdens’ Bodyguard (I Am Invincible) is seventh. The Moody and Coleman-trained Eneeza (Exceed and Excel) is eighth, Clarken-O’Shea filly Kuroyanagi (Written Tycoon) is ninth in the order and Matt Laurie’s Coleman (Pierata) rounds out the top 10.
Connections of Ayrton hope for All-Star Mile wildcard
After a luckless third in the ‘win and you’re in’ G2 Blamey S. on Saturday, connections of Ayrton (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) are hoping for a wildcard in to The All-Star Mile.
“Outside of Mr Brightside it (The All-Star Mile) is pretty open,” Roll the Dice Racing's Steve Travaglia told Racing.com.
“Jamie (Kah) said the horse should have won but she thinks he's going as good as ever. You'd love to think Matt Welsh might be picking up the phone to Mick (Price).”
Ayrton (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Six-year-old gelding Ayrton has eight wins and four placings from 23 starts with earnings over $950,000. Ayrton nearly died of a spider bite two-and-a-half years ago.
“The Cinderella story I guess is he was going to be anything and then he got the spider bite and to get him back winning and competitive in Group 2s and 1s, it would be a great story if he could give them a shake in The All-Star Mile,” said Travaglia.
“Some people don't realise how close to death he was. Credit to the boys and Shona (Drechsler), the horse was at Mick and Shona's place for a long time in the paddock next to their bedroom door basically to make sure he was going to live.”
International runners arrive at Canterbury quarantine
Golden Eagle winner Obamburumai (Jpn) (Discreet Cat {USA}) headlines the five horses who will arrive at Sydney’s Canterbury quarantine facility over the next couple of weeks.
“We are pleased to see such depth with three Group 1 winners amongst this shipment and this will be complemented by Golden Eagle winner Obamburumai expected to arrive mid-March,” Australian Turf Club Executive General Manager Racing and Wagering, James Ross told Racing NSW.
Obamburumai (Jpn) | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The other four horses are UK trainer William Haggas’ non stakes winner of three races Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), and the three Group 1 winners are Chris Waller’s Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock), Waterhouse-Bott’s Poptronic (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Anthony and Sam Freedman’s Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). Via Sistina won the 2023 G1 Pretty Polly S., Poptronic won the 2023 G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at her most recent start, and Place Du Carrousel won the 2022 Prix de l'Opéra.
Shinzo and Think About It headline G1 Canterbury noms
Last year’s Golden Slipper winner Shinzo (Snitzel) headlines the nominations for the G1 Canterbury S. over 1300 metres, along with Think About it (So You Think {NZ}) and Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) among the 13 nominations.
Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) is nominated but unlikely to run as her connections have already stated that the super sprinting mare will stay in Melbourne for the G1 Newmarket H.
Shinzo hasn’t raced since running third in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. back in November. Think About It is also first-up, having not raced since November where he won The Everest, then ran third behind Bella Nipotina in the Giga Kick S.
Potential Derby for Massive Sovereign
Massive Sovereign (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) exploded into Hong Kong Derby contention when he won Race 9 at Sha Tin on Sunday night.
“I’m very happy. I’ve been training about 22 years and it’s the first time I’ve run one over 2000 metres first start. He got the win. Wow,” trainer Dennis Yip told scmp.com.
Massive Sovereign (Ire) | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“The horse only arrived in Hong Kong four months ago and the owner (Chan Kam-hung) told me straight away he wanted to go to the Derby. So, I put Zac on in a trial and Zac told me that the horse is very gentle and very nice. He said, ‘I like him a lot’. I wanted to run him at a mile first to warm him up but Zac said, ‘I’ve got a ride, I can only ride him in the 2000m’. He also told me that if the owner wants to go to the Derby he had to win this race – if he won at a mile maybe they wouldn’t choose the horse for the Derby. By winning at 2000 metres now we have the chance to go to the Derby.”
Massive Sovereign won two of his five starts as a 3-year-old for trainer Aidan O’Brien last year before heading to Hong Kong.
Unusual Cup path for Whangaehu
Proisir has a potential Auckland Cup runner with Whangaehu (NZ) who won over 2050 metres carrying 61kg on Sunday at Wairarapa.
“I thought his run on Sunday was very good, he carried a lot of weight and he was very diligent. I was very happy,” trainer Bill Thurlow told loveracing.nz.
The G2 Auckland Cup over 3200 metres runs on Saturday, so Whangaehu will be backing up within six days, but he’ll only have to carry 52kg.
“When he (Whangaehu) came back from Australia, we spoke with the owners and they were very keen for us to try and get to the Cup, that was their wish, so we set on a path to do that,” Thurlow said.
“It’s been our plan for a while, but it was whether or not he was going to make the field, but it looks like we’ve made it.”
Whangaehu was trained by Chris Waller in Australia and had 18 starts and two wins for him. In New Zealand, Whangaehu has won four from eight starts, including his last two in succession.
Giga Kick back in training
Top sprinter Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) returned to trainer Clayton Douglas’ stables recently and will be worked under saddle this week for the first time since his hamstring injury in the G3 Ian McEwan S. back in September 2023.
“He’s back in light work and doing a bit of water walking and treadmilling and he’ll be back under saddle this week,” Douglas told Racing.com.
“He had been actively spelling, he had been walking on the treadmill of a morning and in the afternoon so we’ve kept him busy and his mind fresh. He’s an athlete and he likes doing things and I think being in a paddock not doing much was doing his head in.”
Giga Kick | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The injury will be monitored regularly as Giga Kick gets fitter.
“It’s easy enough to monitor it through ultrasound scans of the muscle and it’s a pretty easy procedure you can just do it in his box at home.”
And as to plans… “Everything is an option at the moment, we are just in the early parts and trying to do the right thing by him.”
Full field of 24 nominated for the Newmarket
A full field of 24 horses have been nominated for the G1 Newmarket H. with star sprinter Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) heading the lineup with the expected weight of 58kg.
Trainer Joseph Pride nominated Private Eye (Al Maher) and he was given equal top weight with Imperatriz but told Racenet.com.au that he’s likely to stay in Sydney.
Group 1 winner Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) holds dual nominations for the Newmarket and Sydney’s Canterbury S., as does Chris Waller’s Espiona (Extreme Choice), with both expected to run in Melbourne. An interesting lightweight is 3-year-old colt Cylinder (Exceed and Excel) who will carry 51.5kg and he’s coming off running sixth in the G1 Lightning S. last start when first-up.
Shuttle sire Omaha Beach has possible Group 1 runner
Omaha Beach (USA) who shuttled to Victoria in 2020 and 2021 has a potential runner in the G1 Arkansas Derby after Time For Truth (USA) won impressively at Oaklawn Park on Saturday.
“I was (pleased), knowing where we're at with the horse, knowing he missed some training,” trainer Ron Moquett told Thoroughbrednews.com.
“We didn't come to the race exactly like we had wanted to, considering we really did have a bump on our shin. So, I'm pleased with the horse.”
The Arkansas Derby runs on March 30. Omaha Beach’s oldest Northern Hemisphere crop have just turned three, and he’s left three stakes winners in the USA, while his oldest Southern Hemisphere crop are 2-year-olds.
Newagte takes Group 1
The stormy forecast that delayed the card originally scheduled for Saturday at Santa Anita and the scratching of his sensation Nysos (USA) (Nyquist {USA}) did little to dampen Bob Baffert's day as Newgate (USA) (Into Mischief {USA})'s last-jump victory in the G1 Santa Anita H. gave the trainer three graded wins.
The stallion-making partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, et al, co-owners of Newgate, doubled up on graded scores with Imagination (USA)'s win in the San Felipe.
