It is win or miss out on the shot at $3.5 million for a number of promising two-year-olds racing at Rosehill Guineas Day tomorrow, with just two 2011 Golden Slipper ballot exemptions left for the world’s richest juveniles race Saturday week.
Rosehill Race 2 the $175,000 Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) for colts and geldings is the first race on tomorrow’s card where the winner will automatically qualify for a run in this year’s Golden Slipper on April 2.
Golden Archer is the Pago Pago Stakes favourite but is not nominated for the 2011 Golden Slipper
Nine horses are engaged for the race, but the two top fancies in the Pago Pago Stakes field aren’t even nominated for the Golden Slipper Stakes.
At the top of the odds is Peter Moody’s ultra consistent colt Golden Archer paying $2.20 at Luxbet to score victory in the Pago Pago Stakes and claim his sixth win from seven starts.
The other early favourite is last-start winner of the Black Opal Stakes, the horse that ended the dream run of one-time Slipper favourite Karuta Queen, You’re Canny at a quote of $6.
While a win for either of these two would be nice for connections, it is not essential as the Golden Slipper dream is not theirs.
Connections have until Monday to pay the $150,000 late entry fee for the Golden Slipper.
So for the remaining runners in the Pago Pago Stakes, an upset is essential.
Horses in the Pago Pago Stakes field that need to win for a shot at the Slipper are Flying Zero, Boys On Tour, Exceed And Exalt, Rock Monster, Written Consent, Salade and Full Blast.
For the Bart Cummings-trained Snitzel colt Salade and Jason Coyle’s Stratum colt Full Blast this task becomes even more difficult as the duo are on debut tomorrow.
No Golden Slipper winner in history has ever had their first career start just seven days out from the big event, so it is little surprise the unraced pair are at such long odds.
Holding the record is Toy Show, the 1975 Golden Slipper winner who had his first race just 31 days before his Slipper victory.
Salade is paying $9.50 for the Pago Pago win but $201 in the Golden Slipper Odds at Luxbet while Full Blast is a $17 roughie for tomorrow and an even longer-priced Slipper chance.
The other Rosehill Guineas Day feature with a Golden Slipper spot up for grabs is Race 4 the $175,000 Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) for fillies.
Fourteen females are engaged for the showdown with Pane In The Glass the punters’ favourite paying $3.70 at Luxbet.
John Thompson’s classy filly has won three of her four career starts to date for $385,500 in prize money.
However, as two of her wins were in the restricted Inglis races, less than $45,000 in her winnings count towards her Golden Slipper prize money qualification.
Luxbet have Pane In The Glass as a $26 chance in their futures Golden Slipper odds making her the shortest-priced contender in the market of all the Slipper hopefuls tomorrow.
Following her in the Golden Slipper betting at Luxbet are Magic Night Stakes contenders Aerobatics ($31) and Retsina ($35).
Retsina is the close $3.90 second favourite for the Magic Night Stakes tomorrow, the lightly-raced daughter of Redoute’s Choice having just her second start following a game fourth to Golden Archer in a Listed 1000m sprint at Flemington on March 4.
She is also trainer Lee Freedman’s best shot at winning a fifth Golden Slipper.
There are two Magic Night Stakes fillies that are as yet unraced needing to win on debut tomorrow before the Slipper Saturday week with the Gerald Ryan-trained Potluck and John O’Shea’s Starcraft filly Quackquack.
View a complete 2011 Golden Slipper Field & Futures Odds Comparison by following the link.
For all the best Rosehill race odds tomorrow and to get in on the early Golden Slipper betting, visit Luxbet now!
