Field Golden Slipper dreaming with Don Corleone

DON Corleone has been described as "Stay Inside's doppelganger" and he might follow the former glamour colt's trail to Golden Slipper glory this autumn.

The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Don Corleone lived up to the pre-race hype with an impressive debut win in the Petaluma Handicap (1000m).

Newgate Farm supremo Henry Field stands Don Corleone's sire, Extreme Choice, and Stay Inside at his picturesque Hunter Valley property and purchased the Team Snowden colt for $650,000 as a weanling.

"It's the most I have paid for a weanling by a long way,'' Field said.

"But Don Corleone is by Extreme Choice, who is a special stallion, and he is in the image, physically, of another of his sons, Stay Inside. He is like a doppelganger.''

Don Corleone's winning Randwick debut came in the same juvenile race that launched the successful Golden Slipper campaign of Stay Inside in 2021. Estijaab also won the Randwick race on debut before training on to win the 2018 Golden Slipper.

Don Corleone put himself firmly into the Golden Slipper picture with victory at Randwick on Saturday Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

"We will probably follow the exact same program with Don Corleone that worked with Stay Inside, three weeks into the Pierro Plate and then the Todman Stakes,'' Field said.

"To be fair to Peter Snowden, he has rated him so highly his whole career. From the get-go, he has been a horse he has been talking about.

"Peter and Paul have been absolutely clear on their views that the horse is a very talented horse. We were a little bit dejected by his trials, we thought he trialled below par.

"But pre-race today Peter was full of confidence and he has got a lot of improvement in him so we're very excited. He sat four-wide the trip and he was strong late so you can't do much better than that."

Field also revealed the inspiration behind the boom two-year-old's name which came from the famous Hollywood blockbuster, The Godfather, which starred Marlon Brando as the mafia patriarch, Don Corleone.

"All the names we were putting forward for this colt were being rejected,'' Field recalled.

"Then one day Tom Ryan from SF Bloodstock in Kentucky was watching the movie, The Godfather, and he called me to say let's name the colt Don Corleone."

The voice of Sydney racing, Sky's racecaller Darren Flindell, even got into the act when describing the finish of the Randwick juvenile opener when he boomed: "Don Corleone guns them down!''

Don Corleone ($6.50) travelled wide throughout under James McDonald but still proved too strong scoring by a widening three-quarters of a length from the promising Kundalini ($11) with three lengths to early leader Coincide ($3.90 favourite).

There was a humorous exchange between McDonald and Peter Snowden immediately after the race when the trainer was being interviewed by media.

"Don't tell the press too much,'' McDonald said.

"I'm wrapping you,'' Snowden replied.

"What, for being four-deep!'' McDonald said.

Sydney's champion jockey said Don Corleone "did a marvellous job travelling deep" and still racing clear near the line.

"He only does what he has to but that probably helps him in some ways," McDonald said. "He just felt like he idled once I got there, I probably got to the front too early but he's a nice horse.

Champion jockey James McDonald was glowing about the performance of Don Corleone Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

"He's a pretty laidback sort of horse and he didn't muster speed that quickly but I was able to blend in when I wanted to and it was a pretty smooth, strong gallop."

Don Corleone has always been prominent in betting for the $5 million Golden Slipper since markets were first framed and he firmed from $17 to $11 for the world's richest juvenile race, run at Rosehill Gardens on March 18.

Team Snowden's unbeaten King's Gambit remains Golden Slipper favourite at $6 and is due to resume in the Group 3 $200,000 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens next Saturday.

Snowden wasn't about to compare the colts at this early stage of the season but the two-time Golden Slipper-winning trainer does have a big opinion of Don Corleone.

"He's a nice horse, has always shown us a bit at home,'' Snowden said.

"His trials, I thought, had been ok but that was why I put the blinkers on today because I wanted to make a statement with the colt. I wanted to make sure he is the horse I think he is going to be.

"In his trials, he was getting back early and we were teaching him bad habits for a lazy horse.

"So, I thought no loafing today, we will put the blinkers on him and get him into the race as he needed to show us he has the ability to go all the way or whether he was just a pretender.

"I noticed James was three-deep early then when I saw him pop out four-wide I thought he must be travelling well to be doing that.

"We wanted to make a statement and make sure he knows what racing is all about and he delivered in spades.''

Snowden said the options for Don Corleone included the Blue Diamond or to keep the colt in Sydney and concentrate on a Golden Slipper campaign.

"He's a very nice horse, plenty of him, he has everything going for him, great attitude, very laid-back,'' Snowden said.

"After today I am confident no matter where he goes he will be competitive.''