Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation qualified another Golden Slipper runner when Altar won Saturday’s Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill, but trainer Peter Snowden said the filly was not a certain starter.
The Snowden-trained Sepoy is the dominant favourite for next week’s $3.5 million Slipper (1200m) and there are several other stable runners who are well up the order of entry.
“She is a good filly and relaxed well today,” Snowden said.
“My first instinct is to say she won’t run in the Slipper but we’ll all sit down and talk about it later.
“It’s a $3 million race so we can’t make the decision lightly.”
Altar is a daughter of Hosannah who won the Magic Night in 2001 before running fourth in the Slipper.
Josh Parr had Altar ($8) up on the pace and she had too much firepower for Pane In The Glass ($4.60) who went down by a length with another Darley runner Aerobatics ($11) a head away third.
Favourite Retsina ($3.80) weakened to 10th after being second on the turn.
Quackquack blew her chances when she played up at the barriers and was withdrawn.
Snowden said Darley was likely to have no more than two Slipper runners.
“We have probably got five who have qualified but I don’t think we will have more than two,” he said.
Helmet is well up the order but needs to perform in a barrier trial to gain a start.
He played up before the VRC Sires’ Produce and was ordered back to the trials.
That was supposed to happen on Friday but he acted up again and his last chance will be at Warwick Farm on Monday.
The Patinack Farm hopes rest with Pane In The Glass but she is only borderline to make the field with most of her prizemoney earned in sales-restricted races.
AAP TURF
