Golden Slipper: The world's richest juvenile race is Friday night

Sydney’s Rosehill Racecourse will host the only card in the southern hemisphere with five Group One races, when a stellar program gets underway at 9:10 p.m. EST Friday.

In a season (which began last August) that has seen fillies ranked slightly above their male counterparts, favoritism will be shouldered by the undefeated Coolangatta (4/1).

Named for a beach town on Australia’s Gold Coast, the Sydney-based filly has not raced since winning the Magic Millions – appropriately, at the Gold Coast track – in January.

While Coolangatta has been training impressively, she will have to break a record for longest period leading into the Slipper without a race. Coolangatta’s training partnership of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, who operate one of the nation’s largest stables, have not wanted to risk their star filly on the extremely wet tracks of the past month.

After torrential rain and deadly flooding on Australia’s central-east coast, Rosehill has been drying out this week. The going will be soft, but safe and fair to all horses’ chances. 

This year’s Slipper pits the conventional against the unorthodox. Anthony Cummings trains She’s Extreme (7/1), whose three career races have been in the last five weeks.

Cummings says “I would rather have my recipe (of rock-hard fitness) than the favorite’s.” Conversely, Coolangatta’s jockey, James McDonald, considers it “a blessing to be coming in on fresh legs,” having avoided a “gut buster on heavy ground.”

Coolangatta and Sejardan (5/1) each won the season’s first juvenile races on the same day last October. From the moment that the filly clocked more than a second faster than the colt, Coolangatta has dominated future book wagering for the Golden Slipper.

Yet, there is now little market separation between the pair, as Sejardan follows a traditional path by winning a historically productive prep race two weeks ago.

Given world events and racetrack form, the biggest threat could come from Russian Conquest (10/1), who ran Coolangatta to a neck in the Magic Millions. The filly raced two weeks ago – on the same card as Sejardan – finishing only 4th of six while uncomfortable in very heavy conditions. Jockey Tommy Berry seeks a record-equaling 4th Golden Slipper triumph. 

Friday night’s other Group One races:

Race 5, the Ranvet Stakes for 3yo-and-up at 1-1/4 miles, stars reigning Horse of the Year and Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant (2/5).

Race 6, the Rosehill Guineas, for 3-year-olds at 1-1/4 miles, features a potential rematch of the recent Randwick Guineas exacta. However, Converge (5/2) who upset Anamoe (even-money) at Randwick, is also entered in the 7th. Profondo (9/2) is lightly raced and supremely talented. 

Race 7, the George Ryder Stakes at 7-1/2 furlongs for 3yo-and-up, is a sensational contest. Mo’unga (3/1), Forbidden Love (3/1), Colette (5/1), the aforementioned Converge (5/1) and Private Eye (6/1) are all Group One winners – Mo’unga on the corresponding day last year, in the Rosehill Guineas.

Race 9, the Galaxy, at 5-1/2 furlongs for 3yo-and-up, is headed by Isotope (3/1). A half-dozen horses are quoted from 9/1 to 11/1, in another stimulating betting race.

Over the next five weeks, 16 Group One races will be run in Sydney – seven of which are rated in the Longines World’s Top 100 Races. Many of these will be part of The Championships at Randwick, on the first two weekends of April.