VANCOUVER NEW SLIPPER FAVORITE
The Gai Waterhouse-trained Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) assumed favoritism for the Mar. 21 G1 Golden Slipper after running his unbeaten record to two in the G3 Canonbury S. at Rosehill yesterday. Vancouver earned J “TDN Rising Star” J status when winning the Listed Breeders' Plate, the spring's most important event for juvenile colts, on debut Apr. 10, and he is now the $7 Slipper choice on Sportsbet.com.au. Second in the betting at $9 is another J “TDN Rising Star” J, the Godolphin homebred Ottoman (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who won on debut at Rosehill Dec. 20.
Outpaced at the start of yesterday's 1200 meter event, Vancouver was about five lengths off the lead in the early stages but gradually made up ground while wide approaching the turn. Swinging four wide in the six-horse field at the top of the lane, Vancouver responded to left-handed encouragement from Tommy Berry with an explosive kick. He outgunned the front-running Outreach (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), a full-brother to 2013 Golden Slipper winner Overreach (Aus), by a three-quarters of a length despite racing a bit green in the closing stages. It was later revealed that Outreach suffered a fractured pelvis.
After the race, Waterhouse was drawing comparisons between Vancouver and her 2012 Slipper winner and 2-year-old Triple Crown victor Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}).
“You just can't beat the spring form and he showed in the Breeders Plate how good he is,” Waterhouse told RacingNetwork.com.au. “He is the most exciting colt since Pierro, and he actually looks a bit like him too.”
Berry was not aboard Vancouver for his debut win, but he was the pilot when the dark bay finished fourth in a Randwick trial Jan. 15.
“He works as good as any horse that Gai has and when he trialled poor I was starting to doubt myself,” Berry told RacingNetwork.com.au. “But then I went back and looked at his tapes and he only does what he has too. I didn't hit him in the trial and today when I did he really responded.”
An A$185,000 purchase by Gai Waterhouse and agent James Harron from Coolmore Stud at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Vancouver is out of the Danehill mare Skates (Aus), and was bred by John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds. Camilleri enjoyed a banner day yesterday, with his homebred 2-year-old filly Fireworks (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) taking the G3 Widden S. later on the card for trainer Gerald Ryan. The Widden has produced the last two Slipper winners.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
