The eminent juvenile form lines from Melbourne and Sydney are set to collide when the minor placegetters from the Blue Diamond Stakes and the top three locals in Golden Slipper betting clash at Randwick.
Victorians Tentyris and Tycoon Star, who finished second and third respectively in Victoria’s two-year-old showpiece, will take on gun youngsters Wodeton, North England and Beiwacht in Saturday’s Todman Stakes (1200m).
Early markets suggest punters are expecting the Sydneysiders to dominate, but Tycoon Star’s co-trainer Ben Hayes is keen to roll the dice and see where their colt fits into the picture.
A winner of the Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) on debut in the spring, Tycoon Star settled back and wide from an outside draw in the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) before charging home to be beaten just over a length.
“He was a little bit of a victim,” Ben Hayes said.
“Unfortunately, the barrier didn’t work out. It wasn’t a fast run (Blue) Diamond, it was a sit and sprint and he was an eyecatcher from the back on a day that was hard to make ground.
“He has come out of the race really well. We’re really excited, the Todman will top him off beautifully for the Slipper.”
Farnan (2020) and Vancouver (2015) have claimed the Todman Stakes–Golden Slipper double in the past decade while Cylinder (2023) and Anamoe (2021) both won the lead-up and placed in the Group 1.
Hayes says taking on the top three horses in Slipper betting will be a crucial seasoning experience for Tycoon Star as he heads towards the juvenile showpiece a fortnight from Saturday.
“That’s his competition and a couple of runs into his grand final is important for him,” he said.
Fellow Victorian-based horsemen Anthony and Sam Freedman are weighing up their options with Tentyris after he drew barrier 11 of 12 with Sam Fredman indicating they may opt to save him for the Pago Pago Stakes (1200m).
“He has drawn poorly, so it remains to be seen. We might wait a week with him,” Sam Freedman said.
“But he’s in great form. He travelled up there really well and worked well on Tuesday.”
