Helmet’s half-brother Epaulette stamped himself as the Darley operation’s big hope for back-to-back Golden Slipper wins with a determined first-up victory in Sunday’s Black Opal Stakes in Canberra.
Trainer Peter Snowden and jockey Kerrin McEvoy decided to change tactics and be positive from the outset after seeing the pattern early in the day, and Epaulette fought off Later Gator in the straight before holding off Faustus in the final stages.
Epaulette started $3 favourite in the $250,000 Listed feature and scored by half a neck over Faustus ($6) with Later Gator ($4.60) holding on for third ahead of Cavalry Rose.
Snowden and McEvoy won the Golden Slipper last year with Sepoy and the trainer confirmed Epaulette was the stable’s top seed heading into the $3.5 million feature at Rosehill on April 7.
“He’s definitely our best two-year-old going into it,” Snowden said.
“It was good to see him do what he did today. We probably rode him a little bit upside down but it’s important that he won today and I just wanted him to be up out of trouble with the way the track was racing.
“He’s a talented horse and ridden out of his comfort zone he was still able to win.
“We’ve got the prizemoney behind us now and we can place him properly.”
Snowden said the colt probably needed one more start in the Todman Stakes before heading into the Slipper.
“I think he’s a Slipper horse,” Snowden said.
“He’s sharp enough. You can see there today he’s got good gate speed and he relaxed pretty well.
“He’ll improve a good bit off this as well. I had him fairly right but I know there is a lot more improvement left in the horse.”
Epaulette’s half-brother Helmet won the Sires’ Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes Group One double as a two-year-old and added the Caulfield Guineas during the spring.
Helmet and Sepoy have arrived safely in Dubai where they will race in front of their owner Sheikh Mohammed on World Cup night, March 31.
“He’s got a long way to go to get to Helmet’s standard but he’s taken the first step today,” Snowden said of Epaulette.
Faustus was really warming up late and delighted his jockey Jim Cassidy with his effort.
“I was going to run eighth on the turn and his run was enormous,” Cassidy said.
“I couldn’t be more happy with him. Whether he’s a Slipper horse is yet to be decided but I’m confident which ever way they go. As for the Sires and the Champagne, he’s right in the mix and the good thing about him is there is only upside.”
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