One of history’s most successful Golden Slipper trainers Clarry Conners will saddle-up his
leading chance in this year’s edition of the world’s richest two-year-olds race
with Charge Forward filly Assail
nominated for the Magic Night Stakes
2013 at Rosehill Gardens on
Saturday.

Running alongside the Pago
Pago Stakes for the boys, the fillies-only $175,000 Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) has this
year attracted 19 nominees, a number of which have the $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) back at
the track Saturday week in their sights.

Conners is a man that knows how to win a Slipper too having
prepared four previous winners, most recently Belle du Jour back in 2000.

This year his contender is young Assail, a winner of two of
her three starts so far including the Wyong Magic Millions Classic back in
December.

A hoof injury ruled her out of the Gold Coast Magic Millions
Classic in January but she resumed on March 16 at Warwick Farm in the Sweet
Embrace Stakes.

With so long between runs Assail could only manage to finish
sixth to Romantic Moon first-up, an effort Conners is hoping she can improve on
this weekend with Craig Williams to
ride.

“She was never a chance and had a torrid run,” Conners
said of Assail in the Sweet Embrace.

“Gate one wasn’t good for her because she is never
brilliantly out but gets going quickly. By 50 metres into her races she is usually
in front but that didn’t happen the other day.

“She’s come through the Sweet Embrace well and the
foot’s good.

“Her problems had nothing to do with how she went. It
was because she missed the start and got into trouble.

“Craig Williams was available. I think he’s the best
rider in Australia so I’ve put him on.”

In the latest bookmaker.com.au Assail is at a quote of $21, markets led by Gai Waterhouse’s Reisling Stakes
champion Overreach at a short $2.05.

Assail is currently 28^th on the Golden Slipper
order of entry with only $50,000 of her $212,000 in prize money earned going
towards a Slipper start making Saturday’s race a must win.

“She
has to win, it’s as simple as that,” the veteran trainer said.

“Otherwise
she doesn’t get a run in the Slipper.”

There are then only two other Magic Night Stakes nominated
fillies under triple figures in futures Golden
Slipper betting with Itameri
($51) and Shahad ($81).

Peter Snowden’s daughter of Exceed And Excel Itameri had two
starts during the spring and resumes in this on the back of a winning trial at
Warwick Farm on March 15.

Waterhouse’s Silver Slipper failure Shahad meanwhile will
look to reignite her Slipper potential with a comeback performance here after
being found out in the wet at the start of the month on a bog track.

While perhaps not in the Golden Slipper frame there are a
number of other notable juveniles among the entries for Saturday’s event
including the Peter Moody-trained Brilliant Bisc who won a trial at
Rosehill on March 19 showing her Silver Slipper 10^th was to do with
the conditions and not her class, another from camp Waterhouse in Sweet Embrace
Stakes third placed Greytfilly and last
start Warwick Farm winner Scandiva.

Check out the complete 2013
Magic Night Stakes nominations in the table below, final acceptances and
gates to be released on Wednesday and published right here at Races.com.au.

In the meantime why not check out the juicy prices available
on your favourite Golden Slipper hopes online at bookmaker.com.au – the only online
bookie in Australia offering punters the chance to bookmaker.com.au on all the majors!

2013 Magic Night
Stakes Nominations

Rosehill Gardens –
30/03/2013