His Golden Slipper campaign may have been disrupted after losing a rider last time out, but the Chris Waller-trained Performer remains the headline two-year-old in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes 2018 first acceptances for April.

There are 93 juveniles still officially entered for the Group 1 $1 million Inglis Sires’ (1400m) run on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’ at Royal Randwick on April 7 following Tuesday’s first declarations.

Heading the updated ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au at an equal $8 with Santos, is Exceed And Excel colt Performer.

The chestnut is also still being kept safe at $9 in pre-field markets for the Group 1 $3.5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) on March 24 despite his autumn hiccup last weekend.

Performer won his opening two career starts including Rosehill’s Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) but failed to retain his undefeated status when throwing jockey Hugh Bowman from the saddle during his run in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m).

He is still a chance for the Golden Slipper and looking further ahead the ATC Sires’, Waller chasing his first win in the latter this season.

Also among the Inglis Sires’ first acceptances for Waller is the ultra-consistent I Am Invincible filly Fiesta.

Winner of the Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill first-up in early February, she was last seen running second to Seabrook in Randwick’s Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) a month later and is also likely to contest the Golden Slipper.

Co-favourite with Performer in futures ATC Sires’ betting, Santos is prepared by Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.

Waterhouse has prepared a record seven previous ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winners, most recently with Pierro (2012) who backed-up off his Golden Slipper success that autumn.

In-form colt Santos is a son of sire-of-the-moment I Am Invincible and has won his past two starts this prep at Randwick, most recently taking out the Group 2 Skyline Stakes (1200m) on March 3.

Waterhouse & Bott have a total of seven first acceptors for the Inglis Sires’ in 2018 including also consistent Star Witness filly Terminology and Choisir filly Setsuna who won a Group 3 on Melbourne Cup Day before a first-up fourth in the Sweet Embrace Stakes.

The fillies have a dominant recent record over the boys in the Inglis Sires’ results with three wins in the past five years, most recently Yankee Rose (2016).

The standout fillies among the first acceptances for the race this season are Tony McEvoy’s Magic Millions Classic – Silver Slipper Stakes winner Sunlight who is a favourite for the Slipper and Lindsay Park’s daughter of Not A Single Doubt Qaflia who ran under a length away fourth in last Sunday’s Group 3 Black Opal Stakes (1200m).

Aaron Purcell’s Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner last Saturday in Melbourne Not A Single Cent chasing the interstate double is also a key chance for the Group 1.

The Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes 2018 final field is set for release on April 3 with early markets now open at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2018 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes First Acceptances

Royal Randwick – 07/04/2018  

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer
1	4	ABSAROKA	F	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
2	2	ADANA	C	2	Chris Waller
3	65	AFFOGATO	C	2	Wendy Roche
4	–	ANTONIO	C	2	Mark Newnham
5	2	AUTUMN	F	2	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
6	11	AYLMERTON	C	2	Jean Dubois
7	0x42	BOLD ARIAL	F	2	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
8	2×363	BONDI	C	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
9	4	CHABREET	C	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
10	2	CHESS STAR	C	2	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
11	398	CONCRETE	C	2	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young
12	2	CRISTAL EYES	F	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
13	1	CRISTOBAL	F	2	James Cummings
14	–	CROWN DANCER	F	2	Henry Dwyer
15	3	DES MOINES	F	2	Michael Moroney
16	–	EARLY REIGN (NZ)	C	2	Nigel Blackiston
17	1142	EF TROOP	G	2	Tony Gollan
18	3x	EL DORADO DREAMING	F	2	Benjamin Smith
19	112	ENBIHAAR	F	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
20	32×251	ENCRYPTION	C	2	James Cummings
21	121	ESTIJAAB	F	2	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
22	–	EVALINA	F	2	Kris Lees
23	32×12	FIESTA	F	2	Chris Waller
24	417	FUTOOH	F	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
25	–	GEM SONG	C	2	Kris Lees
26	2×5	GLAMOUR CRUISE	F	2	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
27	11×34	GONGS	F	2	James Cummings
28	4	GRAND BOUQUET (NZ)	F	2	Kris Lees
29	923	GREYSFUL GLAMOUR	F	2	Mark Newnham
30	40	HINCHRIDER	G	2	Archie Alexander
31	7	HOME SCENE	C	2	Chris Waller
32	49	IN GOOD HEALTH	F	2	Anthony & Edward Cummings
33	153	INTO THE ABYSS	F	2	John P Thompson
34	1×37	IRISH BET	C	2	John O’Shea
35	8×2	IRUKANDJI	C	2	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
36	8×5	KARA’S HOPE	F	2	Tim Martin
37	22	KHULAASA	F	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
38	5	KNIGHT’S HELMET	C	2	Matthew Smith
39	–	LEAN MEAN MACHINE	C	2	Chris Waller
40	1x48x	LEGISLATION	C	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
41	11×10	LONG LEAF	C	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
42	5x	MADAM ROUGE	F	2	Chris Waller
43	5	MANDALONG TAPIT (USA)	C	2	Gary Nickson
44	5x	MIRETTE	F	2	Archie Alexander
45	42x	MISS HELLBENDER	F	2	Archie Alexander
46	8x	MUNICH	C	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
47	2116	NASAAYIM	F	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
48	51	NOT A SINGLE CENT	C	2	Aaron Purcell
49	–	NOT A ZIN ZAN	F	2	Matthew Smith
50	0	ONYAR	C	2	Paul Perry
51	2×323	OOHOOD	F	2	Tony McEvoy
52	5×342	OSORNO	C	2	James Cummings
53	135	OUTBACK BARBIE	F	2	Tony Gollan
54	7×210	OUTRAGEOUS	C	2	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
55	1x1L	PERFORMER	C	2	Chris Waller
56	–	PLENTY	C	2	Chris Waller
57	314	PRAIRIE FIRE	C	2	Mick Price
58	–	PRIVATE UNIVERSE	C	2	Richard Freedman
59	14×74	QAFILA	F	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
60	212×6	RAGGED RASCAL	C	2	Paul Perry
61	–	REVEL	C	2	Tony Gollan
62	35x	RHEINGAU	C	2	James Cummings
63	1	RINGERDINGDING	C	2	Edward O’Rourke
64	8x	ROYAL CAPTAIN	C	2	Gerald Ryan
65	11×3509	RUN NAAN	C	2	Tony McEvoy
66	25120	SANCTIMONIOUS	C	2	Tony McEvoy
67	116	SANDBAR	C	2	Brad Widdup
68	34x	SANGITA	F	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
69	34×11	SANTOS	C	2	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
70	4×31	SEABROOK (NZ)	F	2	Mick Price
71	4142	SEBERATE	C	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
72	211×4	SETSUNA	F	2	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
73	6	SHE’S FURLINE	F	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
74	66	SIGNORE FOX	C	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
75	3	SISTER SLEDGE	F	2	Anthony & Edward Cummings
76	0x23x	SOKUDO	C	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
77	42×2	SPIN	C	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
78	–	STARVIRGO	C	2	Anthony Freedman
79	32×71	STUNTS	C	2	James Cummings
80	3×1111	SUNLIGHT	F	2	Tony McEvoy
81	1×5	SWEET AVA	F	2	Gerald Ryan
82	–	SWELT	C	2	Brad Widdup
83	53	TCHAIKOVSKY	C	2	Peter & Paul Snowden
84	423	TERMINOLOGY	F	2	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
85	–	TESSA BURRITO	F	2	Kris Lees
86	–	THE AUTUMN SUN	C	2	Chris Waller
87	–	TIMID	F	2	Richard Freedman
88	3×6	TOULOUSE	C	2	David Payne
89	43	VEGA ONE	C	2	John P Thompson
90	3	VIRTUAL INSANITY	C	2	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
91	2	WAGNER	C	2	James Cummings
92	–	WAR CABINET	C	2	Garry White
93	14	ZOUSAIN	C	2	Chris Waller