Godolphin accepted six runners in this year’s Golden Slipper field, but it was the gold cap of Kiamichi who claimed the time-honoured race at Rosehill on Saturday.
The two-year-old by Sidestep was no match for the 16 horse field, leading from barrier to box at the wide odds of $34.00.
Punters came in droves for stablemate Tenley and Mirophone, both of which entered at single-digit figures – but it was last week’s Magic Night Stakes winner who relished the heavy conditions for the second week in a row.
The win marked James Cummings’ first-ever victory in the Golden Slipper, while Kiamichi now becomes the 27th filly to win the race. Cummings said after Saturday’s win that he always had high hopes for Kiamichi after winning first-up on debut for Godolphin on the same track back in November.
“That’s some sort of race. Great credit to this horse. She’s just been able to come on the scene in such a way that suggested that she was just going too well to deny her a chance to be running in this race” Cummings said.
“She’s our first two-year-old winner, we trained her for strength, I wanted to toughen these horses up all season, and she was tough this week, she’s had an absolute ripper of a week.”
Microphone also ran a brilliant race, nabbing Cummings the quinella, while third-place getter Lyre earned the stable the trifecta. Microphone looked a chance running along the inside but seemed to struggle on the heavy track.
“Microphone’s got a great future, but one thing I knew going into this Slipper I learned two years ago, you can throw out the window what you think is the most brilliant horse, you can throw out the horse that’s had the picture perfect preparation, at the end of it it’s going to come down to the horse that has the guts to handle the track on the occasion and the heart to get over the line first” Cummings went on to say.
Race-favourite Cosmic Force finished eighth, a disappointing display after last week’s jaw-dropping win in the Pago Pago. Yes Yes Yes was equally underwhelming after missing the start, while Ciaron Maher & David Eustace trained Loving Gaby ran on well to finish fourth.
