Racing Confidential: Exciting Scampi heads early Golden Slipper market

There’s still 175 days to the $5 million Golden Slipper and this season’s juveniles haven’t even started racing yet but already punters can start betting on who will win the world’s richest two-year-old race.

TAB Fixed Odds has released the first market on next year’s Golden Slipper with Scampi at the top of betting at $17.

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Scampi created a huge impression romping away with a Kensington barrier trial earlier this month and is at $1.90 to make a winning debut in the Group 3 $250,000 Breeders Plate (1000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

“Six years ago, we started betting on the Golden Slipper before the Breeders Plate and Gimcrack Stakes and no two-year-old has been shorter than Scampi in the opening market,” TAB’s Tim Ryan said.

“Scampi’s trial win was as dominant as the trial wins of Enthaar (2020) and Coolangatta (2021) and they also opened at $17 for the Golden Slipper.

“Enthaar and Coolangatta were also from the Maher and Eustace stable and both fillies won the Gimcrack Stakes before firming into single figures for the Golden Slipper.

“If Scampi wins the Breeders Plate easily, then there is every chance he will be at single figures odds for the Slipper, too.”

Ryan said punters are “very keen to get involved in Golden Slipper betting” even this far out from the big race.

“We wrote a lot of bets on Enthaar and Coolangatta,” Ryan said.

But the Gimcrack curse still hovers over the Golden Slipper as no filly has been able to complete the double.

It’s a different story for the colts and geldings with the Breeders Plate-Golden Slipper double being completed eight times by Capitalist (2016), Vancouver (2015), Pierro (2012), Sebring (2008), Luskin Star (1977), Baguette (1970), Eskimo Prince (1964) and Sky High (1959).

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There are 26 two-year-olds set to debut at Randwick on Saturday - with half coming out of just two Sydney stables!

Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will be saddling up seven youngsters – Lady Of Camelot, Lady Tassort, Celestial Bling and Alinea in the Gimcrack Stakes and the colts Straight Charge, Espionage and Prost.

The father and son training partnership of Peter and Paul Snowden have five colts, Bodyguard, Counteroffensive, Fearless, Force Red and Volatile, in the Breeders Plate and the filly Invincible Madison in the Gimcrack.

Both stables are renowned for their success with two-year-olds and between them have won nine Golden Slippers this century.

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Saturday’s Epsom meeting is the 50th anniversary of the legendary Tommy Smith’s famous Group 1 treble at the Randwick spring carnival.

Sydney racing was very different in 1973 with the AJC Derby and Epsom Handicap run on the Saturday and The Metropolitan on the public holiday Monday.

Smith won all three feature races that year including that unforgettable Derby finish when Imagele edged out Leica Lover and Grand Cidium after a stirring straight-long battle.

Imagele was returning after fracturing three ribs in a horror Golden Slipper fall earlier that year and completed the three-year-old triple crown after his earlier wins in the Canterbury Guineas and Rosehill Guineas.

Smith also prepared Lord Nelson to win the Epsom and stablemate Analie was an outstanding winner of The Metropolitan.

“They don’t realise what a great trainer TJ was,” Smith’s daughter, Gai Waterhouse, said.

“Imagele was a champion and very courageous to come back and do what he did that year.

“Lord Nelson had won the Doomben Cup earlier that year and Dad set him to win the Epsom. I remember Analie very well, gosh she was a good horse. Hopefully, we can emulate Dad on Saturday.”

Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, has Converge in the Epsom Handicap, hot favourite Just Fine, Knights Order, Major Beel and Military Mission in The Metropolitan, and Tropical Squall and Summer Loving in the Flight Stakes.

Meanwhile, Waterhouse said it was very unlikely stable star Alligator Blood would return to Sydney to clash with his old sparring partner Mr Brightside in the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Everest Day, October 14.

Alligator Blood, who scored his fifth Group 1 win for the Waterhouse-Bott stable in the Underwood Stakes last week, is likely to stay in Melbourne to contest the Might And Power Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on the same day.

“We will probably go to the Might And Power then he can meet with Mr Brightside again in the Cox Plate,” Waterhouse said.

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Golden Slipper winner Shinzo is still on target for the $20 million The TAB Everest despite pulling up with a minor heel issue after his unplaced Golden Rose run last week.

Trainer Chris Waller said he is “reasonably confident” Shinzo will be right to line up in the world’s richest turf race at Royal Randwick on October 14.

“The farrier has done some great work and given the colt more support,” Waller said.

“It was as big turnaround in about 24 hours or so. We intend trialling him next week and all going well he should be right to run in The Everest.”

Waller can trial Shinzo at Rosehill on Tuesday but also has some a Randwick trials session next Friday as a fallback option.

Everest slot-holders Coolmore also own Shinzo and are keen for their brilliant colt to run in The Everest.

Aquis, Yulong and Chris Waller Racing also have vacant Everest slots with the result of the Group 2 Premiere Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday shaping as a crucial lead-up race.

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Ratings genius Gary Crispe has declared Just Fine as “nearly unbeatable” in the Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan at Randwick on Saturday.

Former English stayer Just Fine is a dominant $1.75 favourite to win the big race and Crispe said the only query is whether the gelding runs out a strong 2400m. “Just Fine had a couple of runs over the distance in the UK and is yet to be successful,” Crispe said.

“But you have to ask yourself if he is a better horse now than he was back then and I would have to say he definitely is by the way he is winning his races in Sydney.

“On his Timeform ratings, he ran 115 to win the Kingston Town Stakes last start and that is 10 points better than anything he did in the UK. Ratings-wise, he is nearly unbeatable.”