The juvenile championship of Australia, the Golden Slipper is the world’s richest race for two-year-old-horses, with current prizemoney of A$5 million.
It is to be run at Rosehill Gardens in western Sydney on Saturday.
Rosehill Gardens – hosts some serious racing on Saturday (Pic – Rosehill Gardens)
The race was first run in 1957 and was originally worth 20,000 pounds in prize money. A rich race for two-year-olds only, it was the brainchild of Sydney Turf Club chairman George Ryder.
It is held on Australia’s biggest day of Group 1 racing, Golden Slipper Day, which also includes the Group 1: George Ryder Stakes, the Ranvet Stakes, The Galaxy and Rosehill Guineas.
The field has been declared for the 2024 Gr1 Golden Slipper Stakes and leading contender Espionage has failed to make the field.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt, to be ridden by three-time Golden Slipper-winning jockey Tommy Berry, was named the first and only emergency.
The 2024 field is made up of 12 colts, no geldings and four fillies with Espionage also adding to the colts representation should he secure a start.
Despite Espionage not making the field of 16, the Waterhouse and Bott stable have an amazing 43.75 per cent of runners with seven members of their stable making the field, headed up by favourite Storm Boy which will be ridden by last year’s winning rider, champion UK jockey Ryan Moore.
Other starters for Tulloch Lodge are Fully Lit, Shangri La Express, Straight Charge, Prost and Lady Of Camelot.
Other stables with multiple runners are the father/son training teams of Peter and Paul Snowden and Tony and Calvin McEvoy.
The Snowdens are chasing their second Golden Slipper win as a training partnership with Bodyguard and Holmes A Court while the McEvoys will saddle up Rue De Royale and Dublin Down as they chase their first win in the race.
Last year’s winning trainer Chris Waller saddles up leading chance Switzerland, while James Cummings, the 2019 winning trainer, prepares Traffic Warden.
Michael Freedman won the race in 2021 when training alongside his brother Richard but this year he goes it alone with Manaal while Blue Diamond winner Hayasugi runs for Victorian trainer Clinton McDonald.
