Sunlight is the filly to beat in the 2018 Silver Slipper Stakes field this weekend at Rosehill Gardens as the early Golden Slipper betting favourite heads towards the world’s richest race for two-year-olds.
2018 Golden Slipper favourite Sunlight kicks off her autumn in Rosehill’s Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.
Last Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival Gary Portell’s Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign (2017) enjoyed an early lead-up victory into that classic in the Group 2 $250,000 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m).
Twelve months on and another gun filly is chasing the same double with the Tony McEvoy-trained daughter of Zoustar, Sunlight, chasing her fourth win on the trot in Saturday’s Silver Slipper Stakes on Hobartville Stakes Day.
On debut the up-and-comer ran third in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial (1000m) at Flemington in October before coming back for a successful three-from-three raid on the Gold Coast in Queensland this summer.
Her latest turf triumph was in mid-January’s $2 million Restricted Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) and this weekend she returns as the narrow $2.80 favourite in Silver Slipper Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.
The filly still holds $6 favouritism in futures markets on the Group 1 $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m), held back at the Rosehill track on March 24, and she gets the chance to retain the punters’ pick status with success on Saturday.
Hot on Sunlight’s heels in the Silver Slipper Stakes odds this year paying $2.90 and firming is the rails-drawn Estijaab.
Brenton Avdulla rides the untapped Hawkes Racing-trained Snitzel filly whose sole start to date produced a blistering four length romp home over 1000m at Randwick on January 20.
She has been brought-on fitness wise ahead of her maiden black-type test in the Silver Slipper with a winning Warwick Farm trial over 799m in good time from February 15.
In an open market on the small seven-starter field there are a further two promising juveniles under $10 for the win with Gongs ($4.60) and Neutrality ($6) both undefeated.
Godolphin-raced Dawn Approach filly Gongs ran second in the trial Estijaab comes via, before which she won back-to-back 1100m Sydney races in the summer.
Neutrality meanwhile is a Blake Shinn mount on Saturday from the powerhouse Team Snowden stable.
Peter & Paul Snowden won the Golden Slipper two years ago with Capitalist (2016), while Peter on his own as the head trainer for the then-Darley operation also won in 2011 with Sepoy.
Their Sebring colt Neutrality is currently rated a $21 chance in pre-field Golden Slipper odds, a price that will firm should he come out and win fresh this weekend on the back of a winning Randwick trial from February 18.
Check out the full Silver Slipper Stakes 2018 field, barriers and latest odds on the Golden Slipper Stakes lead-up available now at Ladbrokes.com.au below.
