The Longines Golden Slipper is one of the few Sydney Group One races that has alluded Chris Waller but that could all be set to change with TAB posting Performer favourite for the 2018 edition to be run Rosehill Gardens on Saturday March 24.
The Exceed And Excel colt ran out an impressive winner in the Breeders’ Plate on debut, with the world’s best jockey Hugh Bowman in the saddle. He beat the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained colt Bondi, who is on the second line of betting with TAB Fixed Odds for the 2018 Golden Slipper.
“It is very interesting to see Chris with a two year old up and running early in the season and this colt showed in the Breeders’ Plate he was certainly above average in that win along with his debut trial at Canterbury,” TAB’s Glenn Munsie said.
“Our form students regard the Breeders’ Plate form strongly with the Snowden trained Bondi, who chased Performer home at Randwick next in betting as an $11 pop.  Both colts started hard in the market for the Breeders and put a margin on the rest of the field which is always a good reference.”
The Breeders’ Plate has been a very strong historical form reference too with Capitalist (2015), Vancouver (2014), Pierro (2011) and Sebring (2008) the most recent to complete the Breeder’s Plate-Golden Slipper double.
Performer, a $450,000 yearling from the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale, is currently in pre-training ahead of his return to Waller’s Rosehill stable in the coming weeks.
Godolphin’s Elessedil and the Waterhouse and Bott-trained filly Setsuna are next in betting at $15 while Saturday’s Golden Gift quinella, Secret Lady and Plague Stone, are rated at $51 and $26 respectively.
