The most iconic two year old race in world racing is the Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill and the 2024 edition is fast approaching, with a crack bunch of juveniles set to line up for the ultimate prize for their age.
Looking back at past winners of the race has been great viewing, but narrowing it down to ten has been a task. Down below is my top ten Golden Slipper winners.
10: Vancouver (2015): He only had five race starts but he won four them, the last win being this race. Gai Waterhouse/Adrian Bott trained this colt and he was a very popular winner given he was a $2.50 favourite an dtrained by the legend in Gai Waterhouse. The youngster was able to get three wide cover before Tommy Berry angled wider into clear air and despite a struggle with stablemate English, he got stronger as the race went on and he was dominant late, providing Bott with his first Slipper while for Gai, it was win number six, equalling the race record of her legendary father, TJ Smith, after previous wins with Overreach (2013), Pierro (2012), Sebring (2008), Dance Hero (2004) and Ha Ha (2001). Unfortunately, Vancouver was retired to stud after just one run as a three year old so we probably didn’t get to see the best of him but he’s gone to stud and been solid as a sire in his few years in the breeding barn.
9: Merlene (1996): Regarded as the roughest ever edition of the Golden Slipper, and there are many layers to this race, during and post. Merlene was the best horse in the race but he was in a bad pocket on the fence so Greg Hall shoved his way into clear air on the turn, causing severe interference to several runners, before taking the front and winning well. Hall was fined the maximum penalty of $50,000 and given two months suspension, and it was noted that Chief Steward Ray Murrihy told Hall “If I had the power to fine you $61,000 I would”, with $61,000 being the 5% percentage prizemoney awarded to Hall. Not many would know but post race in the Jockeys Room, Danny Nikolic, who was 20 years at the time, grabbed Larry Olsen by the throat and pushed him against a wall, raging with anger given Olsen, aboard Excel Pilot, badly checked Nikolic on Paint, nearly causing him to come down midway through the race. Another layer was the ownership of the horse, with the owners being Lloyd Williams and the late Kerry Packer, where it is reported Packer, regarded as one of the biggest ever punters in Australian history, had $1.5 Million on Merlene to win the Slipper.
8: Mossfun (2014): Australia had seen glimpses of James McDonald at his best but this win put him on the map and it was a sign of what was to come for the next decade. He rode the Team Hawkes filly with dare, sticking to the inside while the rest of the field angled wider, seemingly looking for clear air. He rode his own race, drove the filly to the front and she showed great courage late to fend them off and win in a remarkable performance. It was the first Slipper for the Team Hawkes operation while for John Hawkes, it was win number three after previous wins with Forensics in 2007 and Guineas in 1997. Mossfun would have a 12 month break and come back the following Autumn as a three year old filly but she just wasn’t the same horse and was retired after the failed campaign, but she will go down as a brilliant Golden Slipper, aided by a 12/10 ride from what would become one of the best riders this country has seen.
7: Sebring (2008): Racing needed a great race after EI hit New South Wales and stopped racing for a decent chunk of 2007. The win of Sebring in the 2008 Golden Slipper was certainly a great race. The unbeaten colt looked gone after jumping given he missed the start and was buried back on the fence but when it comes to big races in Australia, there was none better than Glen Boss and he somehow managed to get clear air nearer the inside in the straight, drove through and was too good, just, for one of the all time great enigmas of racing in Von Costa De Hero. It was another Slipper win for Gai, her third, while for Boss, it was a while between drinks given his only other Golden Slipper winner was Flying Spur back in 1995.
6: Vain (1969): When you talk all time greats, Vain is never in the conversation, but in his 14 start career during the late 60’s, he was one of the most gifted and most brilliant gallopers this country has produced, highlighted by what most would say is the most dominant and arrogant Golden Slipper win in history. He led throughout under Pat Hyland to win by an absolute space and ran sizzling time in doing so. All the talk pre race was that Vain was no hope given he was trained in Victoria and prior to him, no Victorian trained horse had won the Golden Slipper, but his 1969 triumph put that to bed and he went on to become one of the great younger horses of the modern era.
5: Sepoy (2011): Sepoy doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for what he did as a two year old. He was an outstanding juvenile, completing the Blue Diamond/Golden Slipper double, and did it with a healthy amount of arrogance. His Slipper win saw him get into a dream spot just off the speed under Kerrin McEvoy before angling into clear and he just got better as the race went on, drawing clear late for an outstanding win, beating Mosheen, who would go on to become a star in her own right, both on the track and off the track as a broodmare in Japan. His career ended after a failed Autumn prep as a 3YO, which included a trip to Dubai for the Golden Shaheen, but his win in the Golden Slipper was one of the most arrogant and it capped off a wonderful juvenile season.
4: Miss Finland (2006): Bit similar to Mossfun and her win in 2014. Miss Finland was slow away and got checked so Craig Williams had to ride for luck on the fence. And boy did he get luck. He was back in the second half of the field on the fence with nowhere to go. But, like the win of Mossfun, all the riders wanted to get away from the inside, which allowed a path for Williams to drive through and the filly did the rest, dashing clear late for one of the more dominant Golden Slipper wins seen this century. It was the first Slipper win for both Williams and trainer David Hayes, who was the dominant force in Victoria with two year olds but cracked it at long last in the best two year old race in the world.
3: Pierro (2012): “Gai told us months ago” is one of the great lines from a race caller in a big race and it pretty much summed up Pierro and how good he was. After the Breeders Plate win in the Spring of 2011, Gai Waterhouse declared straight after the race that Pierro would win the Golden Slipper and her confidence and faith in the colt was rewarded as he proved strongest late at the end of the 1200m to win and remain unbeaten, beating what would end up being a high quality field. He went on to become an absolute star, winning the Triple Crown and coming back as a three year old to win multiple Group l races and place in a Cox Plate, showcasing his ability to stretch out over trip. He has since gone on to become one of the better stallions in Australia, confirming his outstanding qualities as a horse.
2: Fireburn (2022): Fireburn won’t go down as the most brilliant winner of the Golden Slipper but when it comes to spectacular and remarkable wins, it’s right up there. She got back on the fence and then several horses in front got checked, causing a chain reaction, with Fireburn copping the backwash and was back near last, off the bit and chasing, seemingly gone, with trainer Gary Portelli saying post race his eyes went elsewhere and was focusing on his other runner Sejardan, until he saw his filly drive through hard nearer the inside the final 150m and dashed clear late for a remarkable Golden Slipper win, his second in the race after winning with She Will Reign in 2017 while for Brenton Avdulla, it was a great win and timely after recently returning from a nasty fall, where there were potential fears he would never ride again.
1: Belle Du Jour (2000m): To this day, it is still one of the more freakish wins seen on an Australian race track, never mind a big race. She jumped in the air as soon as the gates opened, and how rider Lenny Beasley stayed on I do not know. The filly was several lengths behind the second last horse and looked in awful trouble throughout, even in the straight when held up and seemingly going nowhere, but somehow she got clear air, picked up and savaged the line late for the most remarkable and incredible win in the race. It provided trainer Clarry Conners with his fourth win in the race after wins with Tierce (1991), Burst (1992) and Prowl (1998) while it was the first real big race win for Lenny Beasley, who was in the shadow of brother Danny Beasley, but he got his day in the spotlight here.
