Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Ordinarilly, the Group 2 pair of the Reisling and Todman S. shape the market for the G1 Golden Slipper run a fortnight later.
Indeed, six of the past 12 Golden Slipper favourites won either the Reisling or the Todman.
That’s not likely to be the case this year, as it would take a performance of monumental proportions to unseat Storm Boy (Justify {USA}), who tightened his grip on Golden Slipper favouritism with his stroll in last week’s G2 Skyline S.
But that shouldn’t diminish the importance of the two races this weekend. Favourites hardly have a dominant Slipper record (three of the past 12) and even if the Todman or Reisling winner doesn’t win the Slipper, their record in later life makes for fascinating reading.
In the case of the Todman, winners of the past 30 years include two Cox Plate and Horse of the Year winners (Octagonal {NZ} and Anamoe), two Champion Australian Sires (Exceed And Excel and Written Tycoon), an Everest winner (Yes Yes Yes), ATC Derby and multiple Group 1 weight-for-age winner (Criterion {NZ}) and multiple winners of Group 1 races at three years and older.
The Reisling honour roll isn’t quite as glittering, but you have the Champion Filly Alinghi (Encosta De Lago), outstanding mare More Joyous (NZ) (More Than Ready {USA}), future Group 1 winners English (Encosta De Lago) and Fashions Afield (Redoute's Choice) and finally the multiple Group 1-winning Samaready (More Than Ready {USA}), who is now famous as the dam of R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Exhilarates (Snitzel) and Golden Slipper winner Shinzo (Snitzel), as standouts in the past two decades.
17 Slipper winners in 30 years
But back to the topic at hand; the Golden Slipper.
In the last 30 years, these two races have provided the Golden Slipper winner on 17 occasions.
The Reisling has a slight edge on this front.
Estijaab (Snitzel), Overreach (Exceed And Excel), Polar Success (Success Express {USA}), Belle Du Jour (Dehere {USA}) and Merlene (Danehill {USA}) have all done the double in the last 30 years. They are among seven Reisling winners in total to win the Golden Slipper (Burst {Marauding {NZ}} and Hartshill {My Heart {Ire}} being the others). There’s been another 10 winners run minor placings in the Golden Slipper.
Estijaab, winner of the G1 Golden Slipper S. in 2018 | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Additionally, the time period we are considering includes Golden Slipper winners She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), Mossfun (Mossman), Forensics (Flying Spur) and Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice), who were all beaten in the Reisling before winning the Slipper.
For team Todman, Farnan, Vancouver and Pierro are the only horses to do the double since Tierce in 1991.
Farnan, winner of the G1 Golden Slipper S. in 2020 | Image courtesy of Sportpix
But like the Reisling, being beaten in a Todman doesn’t spell doom for your Golden Slipper aspirations. Stay Inside, Capitalist, Sepoy, Phelan Ready (More Than Ready {USA}) and Danzero were all rolled a fortnight out, but peaked on the day that mattered most.
So for two races combined, that’s a healthy strike rate compared to the lead-ups run either side of them.
Slipper fancies – the Todman
Despite the Golden Slipper favourite being absent, this shapes as one of the best – and deepest – G2 Todman S. in memory.
Straight Charge (Written By), Espionage (Zoustar) and Switzerland (Snitzel) fill the next three lines of betting on the Slipper behind Storm Boy.
Gallery: A selection of the fancied runners in the 2024 G1 Golden Slipper S.
Add in Shangri La Express (Alabama Express) and Bodyguard (I Am Invincible) and you have five of the top 10 Slipper fancies lining up against each other a fortnight out.
There’s little doubt it will have a massive influence on betting for the Slipper and given there’s not a struck match between the first trio in Slipper betting, it will be fascinating to see who actually starts favourite this weekend.
Straight Charge (Written By x Matryoska by I Am Invincible)
Sale: $270,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale (Vendor: Lime Country)
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
Jockey: Tim Clark
Golden Slipper price: $8
Narrowly beaten on debut in the Breeders’ Plate by Espionage, who atoned in December with a dominant Randwick 1100-metre win over Erno’s Cube (Rubick), who then ran well in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic. A slight setback ended his Magics tilt, but he was back with a bang last month, exacting revenge on Espionage in the G2 Silver Slipper.
Espionage (Zoustar x In Times Of War by Street Cry {Ire})
Sale: $1,000,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale (Vendor: Baramul Stud)
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
Jockey: Nash Rawiller
Golden Slipper price: $9
Was backed from $13 to start $7.50 in the Breeders’ Plate and had a narrow margin over Straight Charge. Given a longer break than his stablemate, he was no match in the Silver Slipper, but likely has more upside given the 147 days between runs.
Switzerland (Snitzel x Ms Bad Behaviour {Can} by Blame {USA})
Sale: $1,500,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale (Vendor: Arrowfield)
Trainer: Chris Waller
Jockey: James McDonald
Golden Slipper price: $9
The same owner-trainer combination that took out last year’s Golden Slipper and with the same sire, Snitzel, who also sired Estijaab to win a Golden Slipper.
He easily beat subsequent Listed winner Castanya (Capitalist) on debut, before proving too strong for Shangri La Express to make it two from two at Randwick in the Pierro Plate. Switzerland goes to a stakes race for the first time here.
Shangri La Express (Alabama Express x Sent From Above by Lonhro)
Sale: $220,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale (Vendor: Yulong)
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
Jockey: Regan Bayliss
Golden Slipper price: $15
This fellow was quick to return his purchase price, winning the $1 million Golden Gift at just his second start in a race, to go two for two before Christmas.
He had 98 days off before bumping into Switzerland, where the market shunned him ($2.80 to $4). His effort therefore to finish within 0.7l was meritorious given he’s likely to take huge fitness benefit from the run.
Bodyguard (I Am Invincible x Tumooh by Fastnet Rock)
Sale: $1,600,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale (Vendor: Emirates Park)
Trainer: Peter and Paul Snowden
Jockey: Tommy Berry
Golden Slipper price: $26
Perhaps a little forgotten after he was controversially ruled out of the Blue Diamond by vets on race day eve. He’s still unbeaten, with both starts in Melbourne. An easy winner up the straight in October, then too strong in the Diamond Prelude last month.
The little knock is that the colts and geldings form didn’t work out in the Diamond itself, but this horse himself is yet to show a chink.
Slipper fancies – the Reisling
The Golden Slipper market suggests the Reisling will play a distant second fiddle to the Todman this year, even more so with the scratching of Catanya (Capitalist).
The girls running here are all marked at $34 or longer in the Golden Slipper market.
But the presence of Too Darn Lizzie (Too Darn Hot {GB}) does create some interest, in seeing how she’s come on since January, in addition to a few lightly raced ones.
Erno’s Cube (Rubick x Long Wink by Stratum)
Sale: $230,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale (Vendor: Edinglassie)
Trainer: Ciaron Maher
Jockey: Jason Collett
Golden Slipper price: $34
More experienced than most Slipper aspirants, she’s the winner of one from five. She was in the wrong spot out the back when Straight Charge gave her a caning in December, then well-tried to beat Storm Boy and company in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic (started $11 after being $21 and more earlier in the week). Ran well there, but was a well-beaten fourth.
She has since resumed and placed behind Straight Charge again.
Too Darn Lizzie (Too Darn Hot {GB} x Enbihaar by Magnus)
Sale: $1,000,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale (Vendor: Vinery Stud)
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
Jockey: Tim Clark
Golden Slipper price: $51
Oddly, she sits behind the other pair in Slipper betting, but is marked well ahead of them in early markets to win this race.
She comes via the new $500,000 Magic Millions The Debut (fillies), where she controlled throughout and won comfortably over 1000 metres.
She has been kept ticking over at the trials, but now needs to prove she can do it over 1200 metres against better opposition.
The Black Opal on Sunday
Canberra’s G3 Black Opal might not have the same Golden Slipper lead-up reputation as it did in the 1990s when winners Clan O’Sullivan (Zoffany), St. Covet and Paint (Raami {GB}) peppered the stumps at Rosehill before Catbird became the first horse to do the Opal-Slipper double in 1999, but it remains a good race in its own right.
Recent winners include Epaulette, Criterion and Trapeze Artist, all of which won Group 1 races at three. The last two winners, Autumn Ballet (The Autumn Sun) and Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) both went onto later stakes success as well.
Fully Lit (Hellbent x Sunlit by Snitzel)
Sale: $60,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale (Vendor: Glenlogan Park)
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
Jockey: Regan Bayliss
Golden Slipper price: $15
He’s a dominant favourite in this year’s Black Opal, going into the race unbeaten in two starts.
His win in the $2 million R. Listed Inglis Millennium was both classy and brave, having to endure a wide run, but still proving far too good in the run to the line.