Slipper mission has Military precision
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday March 31, 2010
GOLD COAST trainer Gillian Heinrich declared correct weight regarding Golden Slipper favourite Military Rose soon after the filly sizzled around Rosehill yesterday."I couldn't be any happier," Heinrich said. "She took plenty of improvement from the run the other day [at Rosehill]. [She] had to, she hadn't raced since January."Military Rose worked solo wide out on the course proper. Rival trainer Tim Martin, who will start Lohan and Carved In Stone in the Golden Slipper, was left in awe. "She broke 35 seconds for the final 600 metres and she was by herself," Martin said. "She wasn't at full throttle."Just after midday at the Golden Slipper barrier draw, Heinrich's daughter Tayla picked up a miniature Slipper with the number eight on it. "I think there is a lot of speed inside her and she has shown she is versatile," Heinrich said.Slipper fairytale horse Chance Bye will be launched from barrier three. "That's the most nerve-racking thing I've ever done," Chance Bye's owner Jack Knight said after picking gate three."A great alley. Not on the inside, not out in no-man's land, perfect," said Chance Bye's jockey Kathy O'Hara yesterday.O'Hara and Knight were outdone by Chance Bye's trainer Michael Tubman. "We've got them by the short and curlies," Tubman said.For owner-breeder David Moodie, the decision to pay a $150,000 late-entry fee for Crystal Lily gave them the chance to draw barrier one."It [gate one] will be either very good or very bad," Moodie said.Crystal Lily toyed with rivals to win the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick two Saturdays ago.Moodie believes the Golden Slipper is "half a skinny race", meaning the 15-horse field has few winning chances, although he said Military Rose was definitely one. "How do you knock it?" he said. "She has a picket fence beside her name."When strolling away with the Reisling Stakes, Military Rose accounted for Obsequious, which draw barrier 12, and the then Slipper favourite Solar Charged, which will start from gate 13. "She has a bit of natural pace and we are going to use that to her advantage," Solar Charged's jockey Hugh Bowman said. "We'll just force the issue a bit."Bowman was on board the John O'Shea-trained Solar Charged in a gallop on the course proper at Randwick yesterday. "John wanted to do a bit more work with her and she felt real good," Bowman said. "Had she won last start she'd be the $2.50 favourite and everybody would be talking about her."Solar Charged was the best-backed runner with TAB Sportsbet yesterday. One bet of $5000 at $15 and several $1000 bets forced the filly in to $13."She has handled the wet before when winning the Kindergarten [Stakes]," TAB Sportsbet's Glenn Munsie said. "Usually in the Slipper the focus is on two or three horses but those in the bottom half of the market are firmers, those like Solar Charged, More Strawberries, Carved In Stone and Georgette Silk."Gai Waterhouse's tearaway Pago Pago Stakes winner on Saturday, Brightexpectations, was allotted barrier four, while stablemate More Strawberries will start from gate 14.With Corey Brown damaging a shoulder at Warwick Farm yesterday, Damien Oliver has picked up the ride on More Strawberries. Oliver was booked for the ride on Masquerader but the horse pulled a muscle in its back yesterday and was withdrawn.INSIDEBrown out for the autumn after Warwick Farm fall Page 17
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
