The price on Farnan to hand Gai Waterhouse with a seventh success in the 2020 Golden Slipper on March 21 have firmed following the gun colt’s excellent win in Saturday’s Group 2 Todman Stakes at Royal Randwick.
Farnan was far too good for his rivals booking a Golden Slipper tick via the Todman Stakes 2020. Photo: Steve Hart.
Waterhouse celebrated her eighth Todman Stakes victory, this one in partnership with Adrian Bott, with Tulloch Lodge’s Not A Single Doubt colt Farnan backing-up from his 3.3 length win in the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on February 22 to salute again.
Taking his career record up to four wins from five starts, Farnan jumped odds-on favourite in the Todman Stakes and didn’t disappoint the punters.
Jockey Hugh Bowman was away really well on the inside taking up the lead straight away with Blaze A Trail second on the outside.
The Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young-trained Blue Diamond Stakes champion Tagaloa meanwhile was ridden with cover second last with Michael Walker biding his time on the second elect.
Approaching the turn for home Walker felt for Tagaloa who started to make up ground as they moved onto the home straight.
Farnan ($1.85) however was travelling great guns and gave a good kick, dropping Blaze A Trail and really coming away to extend his lead and come away with a big win.
Tagaloa ($3.80) lost no irers coming from a long way back to finish second, while the Todman Stakes trifecta was rounded out by the Chris Waller-trained Blondeau ($20).
“He’s a lovely young horse. He’s very natural,” winning jockey Bowman said of Farnan.
“He’s got tactical speed which is a huge asset. He relaxes very well and he’s got an engine.”
The Group 1 $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens is the richest race for two-year-olds in the world and is now firmly on the cards this autumn for Farnan.
Farnan earned a golden ticket into the Golden Slipper field taking out the Todman Stakes on Randwick Guineas Day with the also Waterhouse-trained Vancouver (2015) and Pierro (2012) the latest colts to do the double.
“He is certainly the right horse to take us there (to the Golden Slipper),” Bott said post race.
“He has put two strong, dominant performances together. He has shown his true professionalism today, his great asset is he has great barrier speed, great tactical speed and can sustain a strong tempo throughout. He showed good acceleration at the top of the straight and can put them away quickly and is the right colt to take us there.”
“That is why he’s here today. It is the right lead up for him, the right path to take, he needed that strong 1200m lead up run today. It’s the right path for all the good colts we’ve had and he’s right up there with the best of them and produced a performance like that and is the deserving favourite heading into the race.”
The latest Golden Slipper betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au list the Todman Stakes winner Farnan firming in from $8 to $5 clear favoritism.
Tagaloa has come in from $9 to $8 to emulate Sepoy (2011) who won the Blue Diamond Stakes before running second in the Todman Stakes ahead of his two length Golden Slipper win nine years ago.
“He ran super. I guarantee his sectionals were pretty quick coming home. Two weeks time, bring it on,” Tagaloa’s jockey Walker said.
Click here for the updated Golden Slipper 2020 odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
2020 Todman Stakes Results
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Barrier | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | FARNAN | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Hugh Bowman | – | 1 | 55.5kg | $1.80F |
| 2 | 1 | TAGALOA | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Michael Walker | 1.8L | 6 | 55.5kg | $3.80 |
| 3 | 6 | BLONDEAU | Chris Waller | Nash Rawiller | 4.6L | 4 | 55.5kg | $20 |
| 4 | 3 | GLOBAL QUEST | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 4.8L | 5 | 55.5kg | $6.50 |
| 5 | 9 | ON THE LEAD | Richard & Michael Freedman | Tommy Berry | 7.3L | 3 | 55.5kg | $21 |
| 6 | 4 | BLAZE A TRAIL | Peter & Paul Snowden | Tim Clark | 7.7L | 2 | 55.5kg | $17 |
| – | 5 | OLE KIRK | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | – | 0 | – | – |
| – | 8 | BARBARIC | Peter & Paul Snowden | Kerrin McEvoy | – | 0 | – | – |
| – | 7 | BARTLEY | Peter & Paul Snowden | Brenton Avdulla | – | 0 | – | – |
