Champion trainer Chris Waller has never won the G1 Golden Slipper, but he has put himself in pole position for the world's richest 2-year-old race on Mar. 24 after winning both juvenile features at Rosehill on Saturday. First up was Performer (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), last year's Listed Breeders' Plate winner who was making his second start in the G3 Canonbury S. Stalking the pace set by China Horse Club's debuting Stratosphere (Snitzel {Aus}) under Kerrin McEvoy, Performer moved to within a half-length of the lead while three wide at the top of the lane. Scrubbed on by McEvoy, the chestnut hit the lead inside the 100 metres but nearly lost the race after Stratosphere battled back to make it a photo finish.
“Putting it into perspective he has a long way to go until the Golden Slipper,” Waller told the Racing NSW notes team. “He certainly wasn't wound up today. He has had fitness building trials and had a 3kg penalty from the Breeders' Plate.”
Waller said Performer would next take in the G2 Todman S. “There is no rush to get to the next race,” he said. “He is still learning his trade and probably clocked off a little bit and the second horse dug pretty deep. He is an athletic type. He is just where he needs to be.”
McEvoy, who won the 2011 Golden Slipper with Sepoy (Aus) (Elusive Quality), said, “He doesn't give you the normal Slipper type of feel in the way he gallops. He is a hard one to put your finger on. I have only ridden him once but I said to Liam [Prior] you can't really pigeon hole him into one criteria because he has so many options and avenues he could work into as he gets into his career. Whether he is just a speed horse I'm not so sure. He might have just peaked a little bit. I had him out and into full stride at the top of the lane. Lucky we got the bob in but he is a nice colt going forward.”
Thirty minutes later, the filly Fiesta (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) made it a double for Waller and McEvoy in the G3 Widden S. Racing midfield and about three lengths off the pace set by Adamina (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), Fiesta began to creep closer rounding the bend. Forced to change paths a few times when faced with a wall of rivals in front of her, Fiesta at last found a seam and charged through approaching the 200. The bay collared Adamina passing the 100 metres and won by a neck in an eye-catching performance that was almost a second faster than the Canonbury. Fiesta was making her third start and breaking her maiden in the Canonbury while wearing blinkers for the first time.
“It was a good effort to see her win after a bit of a scrimmage,” Waller told Racing NSW. “The horse to her outside of her wasn't going anywhere but fortunately the gap opened on the inside and Kerrin saw it. It is good to see a young horse under pressure still quicken after copping a bump in the race. It might look easy watching at home but I can tell you those midrace clashes at high speeds would be like being hit with a pretty solid object.”
Fiesta earned a A$100,000 bonus from Inglis, split 50/50 between the vendor and supplier at the time of sale, for becoming the first graduate from her crop from the Inglis Classic sale's Gold Riband session to win a 2-year-old stake. Denise Martin of Star Thoroughbreds bought Fiesta for A$150,000 last year.
After siring the seconds in both 2-year-old stakes at Rosehill on Saturday, the reigning champion sire Snitzel (Aus) got his just desserts later on the card when last season's G1 Golden Rose S. winner Trapeze Artist (Aus) led home a quinella for his sire in the G2 Expressway S. Stalking the pace on the outside, Trapeze Artist burst clear when prompted by Tim Clark passing the 300 metres and hit the line 1 1/4 lengths the better of the rallying Showtime (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), with Group 3 winer Addictive Nature (Aus) (Savabeel {Aus}) in third and popular Group 1-winning mare Global Glamour (Aus) (Star Witness {Aus}) checking in fourth. Trapeze Artist was making his first start for trainer Gerald Ryan since finishing down the field in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. in November.
“Really good return,” Clark told the Racing NSW notes team. “He is the sort of horse that will keep improving this prep. I had to use him a bit to get there but once I came back he travelled well. If anything the leader didn't take me far enough so he got left there earlier than I would have liked but he was really strong to the line.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
