The Golden Slipper picture has taken a dramatic turn at Rosehill with early favourite Cellsabeel disappointing while Tulloch Lodge youngster Farnan has surged into contention.
Cellsabeel was sent out a prohibitive odds-on favourite for Saturday’s Silver Slipper (1100m) but was never in the hunt, settling near the rear and making little headway to finish fifth, beaten more than six lengths.
Jockey Tommy Berry was at a loss to explain the performance, telling stewards Cellsabeel could have felt the five weeks between runs, or been affected by the addition of glue-on shoes.
A subsequent veterinary examination showed she had pulled up lame.
“She never took me into the race at all today, I was gone at the 600 and never felt like I was ever going to be a threat in the race,” Berry said.
“It was completely different to what I rode five weeks ago.”
While connections of Cellsabeel were disappointed, trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott were celebrating the emergence of Farnan as a genuine 2020 Golden Slipper contender.
The winner of the Wyong Magic Millions in December, Farnan ($7.50) had fallen out of favour since being beaten in the Gold Coast version but reaffirmed his credentials with a thumping 3-1/4 length win over Global Quest ($8).
Debutant North Pacific ($8) grabbed third another 1-1/4 lengths back.
The win gave Gai Waterhouse her sixth Silver Slipper and co-trainer Adrian Bott his first, the latter saying the stable wanted to see Farnan prove himself after having genuine excuses in the Magic Millions.
“We didn’t see him in that race as he didn’t get into the position in the run we wanted and then he got onto the worst part of the track,” Bott said.
“It dented our confidence a little but we had excuses.
“So today was important to see how he measured up to Sydney’s better two-year-olds and he certainly made a statement.”
Tulloch Lodge had planned to run Farnan again in the Todman Stakes in two weeks but Bott said they would reassess that after his Silver Slipper demolition.
Filling in for regular jockey Tim Clark who was in Melbourne, Hugh Bowman was full of praise for Farnan, rating him a genuine high-class two-year-old.
“It felt as good as it looked,” Bowman said.
“He’s going to improve on that. I think mentally, he’s a very sensible horse but I don’t think he’s screwed right down and he’s certainly in the right hands to progress to the Golden Slipper.”
Trainer Chris Waller believes Global Quest will be better in the spring but he remains keen to continue on a Slipper path and says a high-pressure race will suit the colt.
“I would think he will run again in two weeks in the Todman Stakes and he might have the blinkers on,” Waller said.
