The Chris and Corey Munce trained Star Of Jamaica will head to the Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes next with a start in the $5 million Golden Slipper still very much on the agenda.
That assignment, over 1200m at Rosehill on March 14, will offer two opportunities for the promising chestnut to take an important step towards securing a place in the starting lineup for the Golden Slipper at the same venue a week later.
The first opportunity comes via the fact that the winner of the Pago Pago will be exempt from the ballot for the Golden Slipper.
The secondly opportunity on offer is picking up a big enough prize-money cheque from the race to move up to safe ground on the Golden Slipper Order Of Entry.
Currently Star Of Jamaica’s total prize-money stands at $180 450, a return which would, under other circumstances, have the son of Profiteer safely in the Slipper lineup, but you have to subtract the $88 000 Star Of Jamaica earned from his fourth place in the Inglis Millennium as, being a restricted race, those earnings do not count towards the Golden Slipper qualification.
That brings Star Of Jamaica’s Golden Slipper relevant earnings down to $92 450 which would place him in twenty-seventh place in the current Order Of Entry … but you won’t find his name on the list at all … because, in another twist, Star of Jamaica was not originally nominated for the Slipper.
That means that should Star Of Jamaica accomplish his Golden Slipper mission in the Pago Pago, his connections would need to pay a $150 000 late entry fee before his place in the Golden Slipper could be confirmed.
Nobody said it was going to be easy.
While there is work to do, a huge positive can be taken from the work already done.
Star Of Jamaica has raced four times, all with merit.
He finished second on debut to Dream Roca who went on the win the Karaka Millions (2YO).
Star Of Jamaica won his second start and then headed south to test feature race waters where he put in two tremendous efforts when finishing fourth in the Inglis Millennium and third in Group 2 Skyline in two highly competitive contests … with the most pertinent point there being how Star Of Jamaica was right in the thick of the action at the business end of affairs on both occasions, finishing only 1.13 lengths back in the Millennium and even closer, just 0.19 lengths back in the Skyline.
Those results will mark him as a genuine contender for the Golden Slipper, if he gets that far.
The Pago Pago result will decide the matter.
“He needs to run again,” (before the Slipper) confirmed co-trainer Corey Munce.
“The prize-money is the issue because the Millennium prize-money doesn’t count. That’s the problem.
“Look, he needs to run well in the Pago Pago, like he did last weekend. I think he will. He just keeps on improving.
“He would obviously be pulled out immediately if we had any concerns, but, if it all comes together, he will run in the Pago Pago and then back up into the Slipper … which is not a bad thing. It has been done successfully before.”
Since the Pago Pago’s inaugural running in 1978, only four horses have completed the Pago Pago / Golden Slipper double … those horses being Inspired (1984), Rory’s Jester (1985), Stratum (2005) and Shinzo (2023).
