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The all-in quote on the Ciaron Maher-trained Spicy Miss to beat home the boys in the 2026 Golden Slipper has firmed notably after the progressive filly broke her maiden status with a win in Saturday’s Group 2 $300,000 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

The countdown to this year’s edition of the world’s richest race for two-year-olds is on with the Group 1 $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) scheduled for Rosehill on March 21.

The latest round of lead-ups into the six-furlong classic take place in Sydney today including the fillies’ facing off in the Sweet Embrace.

After running second in her two earlier career starts, Maher’s nicely bred daughter of Trapeze Artist, Spicy Miss ($4.40), finally broke through with a narrow but convincing victory in the Group 2.

“She’s always shown that sort of ability,” Maher told Sky Thoroughbred Central after the win.

“Her first run in the Golden Gift was very good. She was just a bit mentally immature and physically, and she made really nice progression in the break.

“The Darby team have found another one, they do a very good job, and I can’t thank my team enough.

“She made really nice improvement out of her first run and her first-up run this preparation and just tightened nicely.

“I thought she presented well and she’ll make similar improvement again.”

The flying Zac Lloyd rated the filly ideally with an on-speed run before hitting the lead on the home straight.

All out, she clung on to deny the fast-closing Screen Icon by a quarter-length with By Choice running third to confirm her spot in the Golden Slipper field.

“She ran very well first-up, but both Ciaron and the owners sort of alluded to the fact that she’ll improve off the run and they were exactly right,” Lloyd said of the Sweet Embrace winner.

“She dug deep today and I think the 1200m was a good step for her.”

Fireburn (2022) was the last filly to complete the Sweet Embrace / Golden Slipper double.

Futures Golden Slipper odds on Spicy Miss to be the next have firmed in from $21 to $15 through Ladbrokes.com.au, and Lloyd is confident she’ll make a lovely Slipper horse.

“She definitely does (feel like a Golden Slipper horse),” he said.

“I think just her mentality and her will to win is going to take her a long way.

“She’s good out of the machine, she does everything right, so that’s going to really help her in a high-pressure race like the Golden Slipper.”

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