Craig Kerry
In James McDonald, prominent bloodstock agent James Harron already had the jockey everyone wanted for the Golden Slipper to partner his top seed, Fireball. All he needed at Tuesday’s barrier draw was a good gate.
Harron was all smiles when his Chris Waller-trained Snitzel colt got just that, drawing seven, which will come into five with emergencies out, for Saturday’s 16-horse headline race at Rosehill.
“That’s perfect,” said Harron, who was a back-to-back Slipper-winning owner with Vancouver and Capitalist in 2015-16. “[Two-time Slipper-winning jockey] Darren Beadman said to me after the trials on Tuesday, he’d love to be in one to five, and he knows a bit about it.
“As soon as I saw that, what will be a five, I thought about what he said, and it just allows James to just get a nice, economical run of the race and the horse was quite nice out of the gates at his barrier trial, just with the blinkers.
“He jumped and rolled along quite nicely. I think the blinkers have really had a good effect on him. He has a really lovely demeanour, but he’s a laidback sort of colt, so [I’m] pleased with that.”
Fireball, which remained steady at $26 with TAB, won his debut at Rosehill in November before returning to take out the $2 million Inglis Millennium. The $460,000 yearling buy for Harron was then sixth in the Skyline Stakes, a length and a half away, when squeezed out late.
“That run in the Skyline, he was drawn very wide, and we knew it didn’t map very well,” Harron said. “As it turned out, he had no cover. He was building into it and the doors closed.
“There’s been plenty of winners of this race that have been beaten in their last starts, and he has put two together, which a lot of these others haven’t. Fingers crossed, and Chris Waller is a master of peaking on the day.”
McDonald sits two victories away from breaking Damien Oliver’s all-time group 1-winning record of 129. He will be short odds to take the mantle on Saturday’s card, which has five group 1s. He also rides short-priced favourites Autumn Glow (George Ryder Stakes) and Aeliana (Ranvet Stakes).
“He’s in high demand, James, and we just left them alone,” Harron said of snaring McDonald for Fireball.
“James was working his way through the [Waller] stable runners and everything else to determine it, and we got lucky. Hopefully, he stays in-form for Saturday.”
The handy draw was part of a winning day for the Waller stable, which gained gate four for Campione D’Italia, which firmed $26 into $15, and one for Hidrix, which was slashed $51 into $21. Harron’s other hope, Michael Freedman-trained Incognito, was $71 after drawing 16.
The draw was not favourable for trainer Bjorn Baker’s pair, Paradoxium and Warwoven, which were cast wide in 18 and 14 respectively. They will come into 15 and 12 with emergencies out. Paradoxium drifted from $5 to $7, leaving Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Chayan as the outright favourite at $5. The Reisling Stakes winner drew 12, which should become 10.
There were no surprises in the final field, and the question of who will ride Magic Night Stakes winner Pembrey remained. Hong Kong-based Australian star Zac Purton was tipped to fly in for the ride but problems finding a flight back in time for Sunday’s meeting at Sha Tin looked likely to end those hopes. Trainer Tony Gollan said he was still waiting on word from Purton.
Baker’s pair draw poorly in Slipper
Warwick Farm trainer Bjorn Baker hopes the addition of blinkers on Warwoven and natural improvement from Paradoxium can help offset wide gates in the Golden Slipper on Saturday.
Paradoxium drifted from equal favouritism after drawing 18 on Tuesday, while Warwoven, on the seven-day back-up from winning the Pago Pago Stakes, was set a task from 14.
Baker said Warwoven will race in blinkers for the first time.
“He has worked in them previously and has gone very well, so we think Saturday is the day to do it,” Baker said. “It’s a little bit of a risky move, but he’s drawn out a touch and hopefully, he can get clear air.”
Paradoxium won the Todman Stakes two weeks out from the Slipper to qualify and complete a comeback from serious illness.
“No doubt the gate, he’s going to have to overcome that, but the main thing is we are here and we are in good shape,” he said.
“No doubt he has improved. I thought his work this morning and particularly at the end of last week was very good. He’s got a great attitude, but just probably going to need a little bit of luck from out wide.”
Archibald ‘couldn’t be any happier ’ with favourite
Trainer Annabel Archibald was “very happy” with new outright Golden Slipper favourite Chayan after her last piece of serious work before Saturday’s race.
The I Am Invincible filly was a $5 TAB favourite after she stayed solid in the market with a draw in 12, likely to come into 10, at Tuesday’s barrier draw. Paradoxium was with her at $5 before he drew wide.
Chayan rocketed into Slipper calculations with a commanding win in the Reisling Stakes on March 7 and Archibald, who trains in partnership with husband, Rob, said she was shaping up well for the $5 million race.
“She had her last bit of work this morning and she’s very fit and she’s very uncomplicated,” Archibald said on Tuesday.
“A straightforward filly and she’s had a very smooth preparation. We couldn’t be any happier with her. Obviously we started her campaign off in Melbourne and didn’t have much luck with the draws down there, but she ran really well and it was pleasing to see her come up here and put it all together.
“All of the ratings guys said she ran really good time and the figures were good, and that’s all you can ask for as a last start heading into this race.”
