Michael Rodd heads to Sydney next week for the autumn return of highly-rated Villa Verde, confident the two-year-old is the right sort of horse to win the Golden Slipper.
Rodd put the unbeaten Villa Verde through her paces in a 1000m jumpout at Bendigo on Wednesday and left in the belief the daughter of Not A Single Doubt was on target for the Slipper.
Villa Verde is set to make her autumn return in Saturday week’s Reisling Stakes at Rosehill, two weeks before the $3.5 million Golden Slipper.
“She’s definitely my best chance of winning a Slipper,” Rodd said.
Rodd’s best Slipper results from four rides have been fifth placings on Empires Choice in 2006 and Beneteau in 2010.
Villa Verde signalled she was a Golden Slipper contender with impressive wins in Listed grade over 1000m at Caulfield and Flemington during the spring carnival.
She is on the second line of Slipper betting behind Overreach and Rodd said the filly had strengthened since the spring.
The Shaun Dwyer-trained Villa Verde finished third in her trial on Wednesday but Rodd said she did all he asked her to.
“Because it was 1000 metres and her first one I didn’t want to give her a gut-buster,” Rodd said.
“I gave her an easy time early and the leader got a long way away.
“I probably got beaten about four lengths but the main thing was she felt fantastic. It was a nice hitout without doing too much and she had a good blow afterwards.”
