Wide Golden Slipper Barrier Draw Could be the Key

With the release of the 2011 Golden Slipper barrier draw today and the racing world in a frenzy over what horses have drawn where for Saturday’s $3.5 million showdown at Rosehill, the two-year-olds that have drawn double-digit gates are still right in this race.

The closer to the rails a horse draws, or the lower barrier number they are allocated, is usually considered an advantage especially in juvenile features such as the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m).

However, looking back at the Golden Slipper winners and history a wide draw for Saturday may not be as detrimental as punters and the public think.

While last year’s Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily was blessed with the inside barrier one, racing fans need only to look back one year further to find the last time a Golden Slipper champion started from a double-figure gate.

In 2009 Phelan Ready jumped from the far outside barrier 16 in the 16-horse Golden Slipper field that year and easily won by an impressive margin of 2 ½ lengths.

Elite Falls is one of the widest drawn horses in the 2011 Golden Slipper field

Prior to that, the other recent Golden Slipper winner to jump from a double-digit draw was Polar Success in 2003 from barrier 14.

2011 Golden Slipper Field Drawn in Double Figure Barriers

#1 Sepoy (10)
#4 Foxwedge (11)
#6 Salade (12)
#9 Elite Falls (16)
#10 Karuta Queen (13)
#11 Altar (14)
#13 Saramenha (15)
#14 Fast And Sexy (17)

Three of the top five two-year-olds in the latest Golden Slipper odds have drawn out wide for Saturday.

Sepoy remains the favourite at a price of around $3.20, his barrier 10 draw for the Slipper his widest to date.

However if the first and only emergency in this year’s Golden Slipper field Do You Think (barrier nine) doesn’t gain a start, Sepoy will move into barrier nine for Saturday.

Third favourite Foxwedge has gate 11, their $7.50 odds to win the Golden Slipper likely to drift out considering the lightly-raced son of Fastnet Rock is yet to jump from a gate wider than six.

Following Foxwedge in the Slipper betting is stablemate Elite Falls, the fellow John O’Shea-trained hopeful storming into contention after beating Satin Shoes in the Reisling Stakes last start.

Elite Falls has also drawn wide for this year’s Golden Slipper with barrier 16.

Important to note is the likely chance of rain at Rosehill leading up to Saturday and possibly also on Golden Slipper day itself.

With a softer track, horses drawn on the inside few gates could find it tough to get a good run especially as the 2011 AAMI Golden Slipper is held later on in the day.

This could prove to be more of a hindrance than a help for Clarry Conners’ filly Satin Shoes, the Silver Slipper Stakes winner set to start from barrier two.

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