Golden Slipper gets a shake-up after Todman Stakes upset

Arghhh, the Gr 2 Todman Stakes over 1200m, the same trip as the Golden Slipper on 20 March, had everything you’d hope for in a major lead-up to a huge Gr 1 race.

And, Godolphin won it – they just seem to do it every year. They won this time with ANAMOE (Street Boss – Anamato) and a new look Golden Slipper market emerged after he finished too hard in a brilliant 1:08:54 to collar the luckless Profiteer and Home Affair with Stay Inside a certainty beaten back in 4th.

Anamoe has now firmed from $26 into $9 to win the Slipper but those who liked Profiteer and Stay inside should not be jumping off.

“He has got Golden Slipper written all over him. We were quietly confident we had a colt capable of winning this today,” said an excited trainer James Cummings.

“But Anamoe has had a really good two weeks since coming to Sydney. He is a natural horse, he gets very focussed and he heads to the Slipper with a. Real live chance.”

This colt STAY INSIDE (Extreme Choice – Nothin Leica Storm) may well be the best juvenile in a year of astonishing juveniles after he running 4th. And some will dispute that saying PROFITEER (Capitalist – Athena Lass) who badly over raced and went at a speed no horse could sustain in the middle stages, hung on for a close 2nd.

The $300,000 race was billed as a battle of the heavyweights and it certainly lived up to its rating.

Before the race the Golden Slipper favouritism was between the unbeaten colts Stay Inside and Profiteer, both hovering around the $4.50 mark with the corporates after the sensational withdrawal of She’s All Class during the week.

The fillies star Four Moves Ahead and Enthaar were $9 and $15 chances while, Remarque was there at $4.80. He too was in this astonishing Todman and he was soundly beaten so his price has drifted.

HOME AFFAIRS (I Am Invincible – Miss Interiors) ran superbly to grab 3rd and he is quietly building a very strong case to win the Slipper too. He was only half a length back of Anamoe at the finish here.

He was $26 before the Todman. He is now $16.

But, while Anamoe, racing in Sydney for the first time and without blinkers for the first time, was extremely strong late and won Slipper admirers.

He hit the line in very fast time and he hit it hard running down Profiteer who gave rider Hughie Bowman an awful time, reefing and tearing and firing up in the mid stages.

If he can learn to harness his speed, Profiteer could make a mess of the Slipper field.

“I was pleased with the run and he was a bit soft late but he needed the run after he had 4 weeks between races. And don’t forget, his dad Capitalist did get beat in this race before winning the Slipper,” said co-trainer Mick Price about Profiteer.

Lots of ifs and maybes there and you should add Stay Inside to the ‘if’ category after jockey James McDonald made choices on him in the home straight that cost him victory.

He was last to the bend, and cantering behind the hot speed, but was looking to gather momentum and sprint at them hard. However, Glen Boss on Alpine Edge just locked him in a pocket as McDonald came off the fence and couldn’t get a clear run.

The horse lost momentum. The race was gone by the time he did see daylight and he finished off hard.

Both Profiteer and Stay Inside eased to $5.00 for the big race.