Jockey Hugh Bowman secured his maiden Group 1 $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes, while co-trainer Gai Waterhouse celebrated her seventh success in the world’s richest race for two-year-olds with race favourite Farnan bolting home to take out the feature race at Rosehill Gardens.

Flying Not A Single Doubt colt Farnan started favourite in the Slipper having won the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes – Todman Stakes double leading up to his Grand Final this autumn and didn’t disappoint.

Bowman continued his lovely association with the ultra-consistent youngster with Farnan taking up the early lead and holding off all his rivals to go all-the-way in the autumn classic.

“I’m lost for words to be honest. I’d just like to congratulate Gai and Adrian and their team for the preparation to develop this horse to behave and race the way he did this afternoon was second to none,” Bowman said after the race.

“I’ve been lucky enough to ride some really good horses over my career as everyone knows but I haven’t ridden a better two-year-old.

“Just his mannerisms and his professionalism that is one thing but his ability is another.”

Waterhouse previously shared the record of most Golden Slipper wins with her late, great father Tommy Smith.

She broke the record on Saturday preparing her seventh with Farnan her first in partnership with Adrian Bott.

Bott was reduced to tears after the race, an historical edition of the Golden Slipper taking place in front of a spectator-free grandstand as the COVID-19 pandemic shut out the racegoers.

The punters were sure to have been cheering from home all around the country however as Farnan bolted home from the wide barrier to defeat Ciaron Maher & David Eustace’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic winning filly Away Game ($10) by nearly two lengths.

In an eye-catching third a further length back to round out the Golden Slipper trifecta was the John Thompson-trained Mamaragan ($16), the Skyline Stakes winning colt having just his second career start.

Waterhouse may not have been trackside for her record-breaking Golden Slipper victory, but Bott was quick to pay tribute to Sydney’s leading lady of racing post-win.

“What a thrill, I’m very honoured and very humble to do it alongside a legend,” he told Sky Racing.

“For her to have six Golden Slippers, and now seven, and to do it with her, and with a colt with such quality, it’s really special for all involved. She makes it easy because she just expects you to win.

“She’s as confident as ever, maybe I worry a little bit more, but she’s always been confident and it is comforting to have that person alongside you who has been there and done it before so many times.

“Even down to the tactics, being dominant from that draw, was never a worry.”

Farnan took his record up to five wins from six starts with the only blotch being his luckless 10^th to Away Game at the Gold Coast in January’s $2 million feature.

“He’s come back a different horse this campaign, he’s been quite special and he proved himself in the lead ups, he was very dominant, and he was dominant again today,” Bott said.

“He showed that tactical speed that he has always had and was able to control the race.

“There was more pressure on today, that was the question that had to be asked to him, and he responded well. He was able to quicken away off that and put them away nicely.

“I thank everyone at home for all their hard work to get the colt here today, and the support of Aquis and Phoenix Thoroughbreds without them we wouldn’t be here either.

“It’s a very surreal moment, the build-up, it’s been a long couple of weeks. I said earlier in the day the Todman felt like it was last season so for it all to fall into place, these Group 1s are hard to win and particularly the Slipper, it’s quite surreal it has all happened.”

Blue Diamond winning colt Tagaloa meanwhile lost few admirers running a brave fourth in the Golden Slipper results impressing his hoop Michael Walker.

“He ran super. He ran really really good. He peaked for a Blue Diamond. For a horse of his class to come back and still run fourth in a Golden Slipper is tremendous,” Walker said.

Tagaloa remains top of the all-in markets for the upcoming Group 1 Inglis Sires’ (1400m) at Randwick next month at $5.50 through Ladbrokes.com.au – odds for which are available here.

2020 Golden Slipper Results

Place	#	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Barrier	Weight	SP
1	3	FARNAN	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Hugh Bowman	–	12	56.5kg	$4.80F
2	8	AWAY GAME	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Glen Boss	1.8L	3	54.5kg	$10
3	7	MAMARAGAN	John Thompson	Nash Rawiller	2.8L	1	56.5kg	$16
4	1	TAGALOA	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	Michael Walker	4.1L	6	56.5kg	$5.50
5	14	HUNGRY HEART	Chris Waller	James McDonald	4.3L	5	54.5kg	$17
6	4	PRAGUE	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Tom Marquand	4.9L	7	56.5kg	$21
7	9	DAME GISELLE	Peter & Paul Snowden	Tim Clark	5L	4	54.5kg	$8
8	10	SEE YOU SOON	Jean Dubois	Jean Van Overmeire (a)	6.7L	8	54.5kg	$26
9	5	KING’S LEGACY	Peter & Paul Snowden	Damian Lane	6.9L	2	56.5kg	$81
10	2	HANSEATIC	Anthony Freedman	Kerrin McEvoy	7.1L	9	56.5kg	$6.50
11	13	MUNTASEERA	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Michael Dee	7.2L	14	54.5kg	$101
12	12	PERSONAL	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Craig Williams	7.7L	15	54.5kg	$26
13	11	MILDRED	Grahame Begg	Jordan Childs	7.8L	13	54.5kg	$101
14	16	THERMOSPHERE	James Cummings	Tommy Berry	10.4L	10	54.5kg	$81
15	17e	RATHLIN	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Mark Zahra	10.7L	16	56.5kg	$101
16	18e	MINHAAJ	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Daniel Stackhouse	11.1L	11	54.5kg	$11
–	19e	TIME IS PRECIOUS	Gerald Ryan	–	–	0	–	–
–	20e	PHILIZZY	Anthony Cummings	–	–	0	–	–
–	6	GLOBAL QUEST	Chris Waller	Brenton Avdulla	–	0	–	–
–	15	CELLSABEEL	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Damien Oliver	–	0	–	–