Saturday preview: Slipper litmus test in store for Canonbury combatants

Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

Colts chasing Slipper ticket in Canonbury

A tight field of seven colts, after Friday morning scratchings, will head to the G3 Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday, with March’s G1 Golden Slipper Stakes firmly on the minds of most. There are 356 second acceptors for the $5 million juvenile feature and every dollar counts towards getting into the field.

Last year’s Slipper-winning trainer Michael Freedman understands that, and he has a prime candidate this year with G3 Breeders’ Plate winner Incognito (Stay Inside) - one of 17 second acceptors for the stable.

“The long-term plan would be the Canonbury into the Silver Slipper and Todman,” Freedman told RSN on Thursday. “Things can change a little bit with 2-year-olds, but that would be the plan at the moment.

"He has certainly strengthened up a little bit, and he's still got a beautiful temperament, which is just as important. I think he's come back in great order."

Michael also prepared Incognito’s sire to win the feature in partnership with his brother Richard, who has a runner in the race in partnership with his son, Will. Written In Munny (Written Tycoon) disappointed the team on debut two weeks ago, but a key gear change has been implemented to improve the colt’s chances.

“We suspect he choked down (in his debut race) so we applied the tongue tie and crossover (nose band) to mitigate that,’’ co-trainer Will Freedman told Racing NSW after barriers were drawn. The colt is one of 10 Slipper second acceptors for the father-son team.

“We’ve had a good opinion all the way along, but he’s got to put some runs on the board. It’s a bit of a tricky draw (barrier seven), but we’ll ride him a bit more conservative and if he can have a kinder run in transit, he will finish strongly.”

The Tulloch Lodge team has one acceptor in each juvenile race at Rosehill on Saturday, with Eviction Notice (Stay Inside) - who was seventh in the Breeders’ Plate after leading early - needing to demonstrate he’s got what it takes for a Slipper tilt in the Canonbury.

“He did a few things wrong in the Breeders’, it may have come a bit too soon or maybe the day and occasion got to him,’’ co-trainer Adrian Bott told Racing NSW on Friday. The Waterhouse and Bott team currently has 16 second acceptors for the Slipper.

“He’s more furnished now, but with that said, I’m sure a horse like Incognito is as well. (Incognito) looks the ultimate professional to date and obviously was very good when they met last time. We’re well and truly going to have to be at our best to be able to bounce back.”

In both of his trials this preparation, the colt has been firmly held when running second as opposed to being allowed to roll along.

“He’s trialled well, it seems he’s back in good shape,’’ Bott said. “It’s been deliberate (trialling that way), but that’s partly been a lot of his maturity, he’s understanding what it’s all about. He’s improving and growing in confidence with that.

“It’s a chance for him to redeem himself on Saturday and hopefully fulfil the promise he’s shown us initially and at home. He’s drawn well (barrier three), he’s got good speed that we can utilise so no doubt he has a few advantages.”

Of the three colts engaged by Chris Waller for the race, only Defensemen (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a $1.4 million Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale Purchase, has had a start, having run third in the $160,000 Kirkham Plate and the $1 million Golden Gift before Christmas.

“He’s a lovely colt,” Waller shared in his weekly race preview on YouTube. “He’s turned into a man now, he looks a lot stronger.”

First starters Confederation (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a $650,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale buy, and Hidrix (Extreme Choice), a $1.7 million Easter graduate, complete his trio hoping to take a step towards the Slipper. All three are amongst Waller's 43 second acceptors for the event.

“He’s done nothing wrong,” Waller said of Confederation. “It’s his first start in a race and it’s a long way from his grand final, but he’s got a bright future ahead of him. Hidrix is very much the same, a lovely Extreme Choice colt and a lovely natured horse. Each time we ask more of him, he just keeps improving.”

Table: Final field for the 2026 G3 Canonbury Stakes

Returning gallopers to clash in JRA Plate

Five of the eight-horse field for Saturday’s G3 JRA Plate at Rosehill will be having their first start of the preparation, and connections will no doubt be hoping to kick off their autumn campaigns in style with a black-type win.

For Tony Gollan’s Zarastro (I Am Invincible), it’s a homecoming of sorts as the former Waller-trained galloper hasn’t run in Sydney in three years. The 7-year-old will not travel as south as he did in the early spring, where he attempted a campaign in Melbourne, but found the tracks and racing style unsuitable. The six-furlong race at Rosehill presents as a better first-up target for the autumn.

“I’m really happy with him, he’s in good shape and I wouldn’t bring him down if I wasn’t happy with him,’’ Gollan told Racing NSW on Friday. “The 1200 metres is his key trip, he’s been vulnerable fresh up over the 1000 metres. His 1000 and 1100 metres, and his run at 1400 metres, is when he’s been tested.”

An aborted spring has meant that Group 2-winning entire Enriched (I Am Invincible) hasn’t been seen on raceday since last autumn. Trainer Michael Freedman has been happier with the 4-year-old’s return and has given him the Group 3 as a jumping off point this preparation.

“Last autumn, he was very good, then he just didn't come up last preparation, so Michael tipped him out and gave him a bit more time," regular jockey Tommy Berry said.

“This preparation, he is going really well, and his trials have been nice. There is still a question mark as to whether he is going as well as when he won the Arrowfield, but Saturday is going to be a great chance for him to prove that. We're going into the race confident he is going well, but we still want to see him come back and do it."

John Sargent’s exciting young mare Meridiana (NZ) (Preferment {NZ}) also returns to the scene in the Plate, with hopes of progressing to the G1 Coolmore Classic later in the autumn.

"I definitely think there is a lot of improvement there for her," Sargent told racenet.com on Wednesday. "But there are eight horses there in a Group race so if you run first four, you win a lot of money. That is why she is there, she gets well at the weight and she is not fully screwed down. I was going to trial her again and start her in a couple of weeks, but I saw the small field and there's no reason why not to run.

Meridiana has won at both her first-up performances to date.

"She is going to get a soft run at the back with no weight," said Sargent. "Whatever she does, she will improve because she has only had the one trial. She goes well fresh, winning each time, but it's a different story on Saturday with that class of field."

A strong trial winner at Gunnedah en route to his autumn return, Compelling Truth (I Am Invincible) rounds out the first-up performers along with Willaidow (Shamus Award). The latter’s two tough trials ahead of his resumption has co-trainer Mitchell Conners confident of a strong showing on Saturday.

“We think we’ve got him in a good place mentally, which is a key thing with these older geldings,” Mitchell told the Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday. “J-Mac has given us plenty of confidence, getting back on him.

“We’ll be positive, something would have to go pretty crazy to cross us. We think he’s in a good space to lead them up, and they’ve got to try to catch him.”

Stay Inside has winning hand across juvenile features

There are 34 stallions with juvenile runners in Australia this Saturday, and first season sire Stay Inside is the most represented, with all four of his engaged runners featuring in the trio of Group 3 features. Eviction Notice and Incognito will start their Golden Slipper preparations in the G3 Canonbury Stakes, then one race later, his daughter Machrihanish will kick off in the G3 Widden Stakes.

Table: Sires with two or morning juvenile runners in Australia on Saturday

Down south at Caulfield, it is debutant Captive Rock who starts in the G3 Chairman’s Stakes, a race won by Stay Inside’s sire Extreme Choice before his G1 Blue Diamond Stakes victory. Almost $200,000 of prize money separates him from the top spot in the first season sires' premiership.

Wootton Bassett (GB) also has all three of his juvenile runners engaged in the Rosehill features, and first season sire Portland Sky has three runners with one runner each in the Chairman’s (Orchid Sky) and Widden Stakes (Oregon Coast).

Current leading first season sire Tiger Of Malay has no runners this weekend, but second seed Home Affairs will need victory with one or both of his stakes runners - Miss Scandal (NZ) in the Widden and La Gitana in the Chairman’s - in order to close the $105,000 gap separating him and the lead by earnings.

Mehegan gunning for third Bellmaine with Bossy Benita

Trainer Michael Mehegan won back to back editions of the G3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes in 2017 and 2018 with Prussian Vixen (King Of Prussia), and he hopes to add a third win in the Caulfield race on Saturday courtesy of lightly raced but formidable Bossy Benita (So You Think {NZ}).

"It’s been our long term goal with her for ages, to try to win that race for a third time with her," Mehegan told racenet.com earlier in the week. “It's still a pretty strong year though, I'll give it that. There's plenty of 100-raters in there. The 1400 metres, at this point, is probably her best distance, but I think she can certainly win at 1200 metres.

"I can't fault her. She's had a pretty faultless preparation."

Standing in his path are 10 other acceptors, including Wrote To Arataki (NZ) (Wrote {Ire}), who won the race in 2023, and Hearcomesthestar (Zoustar), who finished 12th last year.

"She was way back and stayed back, but her splits home, even though she only beat a couple home, was equal to the ones in the front," said trainer John Moloney of the latter’s 2025 finish. He will be chasing a first win the event with the Zoustar mare. "It was just physically impossible for her to make up the ground.

"She's had a really good preparation and she's shown a fair bit. She's in great form and we'd love to get into the money again, and if she was lucky enough to win, hallelujah."

Fourth in her last start in the G3 Standish Handicap, Aviatress (Smart Missile) will be out to try and hand Richard and Chantelle Jolly a first victory in the race as well.

"Last start we were a little disappointed with the run she had and was a bit soft late," Richard Jolly told RSN on Thursday. "But she ran fourth, not that far away, and if you look at Hedged, he looked to go pretty ordinary and he came out and won that race at Pakenham the other day, so that makes you feel a bit better about the run."

Jolly sends duo to delayed Durbridge Stakes

The Listed Durbridge Stakes was originally slated for last weekend, but extreme weather postponed the Morphettville meeting, leading to its reschedule to Saturday - and while the delay is not ideal for any of the 10-horse field, Richard and Chantelle Jolly are nonetheless keen to get cracking with their two acceptors.

"I was a bit disappointed they pulled the pin on them last week," Richard told RSN on Thursday. "But it hasn't really altered their prep. The horses are in good order and they're ready to run as soon as the races are on.”

The Jollys will send out top seed Klabel (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}), last start winner of the Listed Christmas Handicap, and Great Maximus (Magnus), who was beaten less than three lengths when last out at Murray Bridge.

"He's a pretty capable horse,” Richard said of Klabel, who has seven wins under his belt. “All his runs in Melbourne last campaign were good. He's a 99 rater, which is a hard mark for him. Coming back to Adelaide probably suits him that little bit better and this race on Saturday, it's probably the same depth as the Christmas.

"He's a very honest horse and should be hard to beat."

The hopes are less high for Great Maximus, a six-time winner from 18 starts who Richard conceded needed the preparation in order to be at his best for a winter campaign.

"He probably needs another run and he's in that rating band where he's a little bit hard to place," he said. "Plus, he's a horse that is more effective on rain-affected ground, but you can't spell these horses until winter time.”