Streisand has not been to the races since the Blue Diamond, but the events since have only strengthened her claims on this Saturday’s Golden Slipper according to Clinton Mcdonald.
The Cranbourne trainer was particularly pleased to see Chayan frank the Blue Diamond form with a resounding win in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes at Randwick on March 7.
Chayan was runner-up to Streisand in the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude and was unplaced behind her and a handful of others in the Group 1 Blue Diamond on February 21, which has McDonald excited ahead of this weekend’s $5 million Group 1 at Rosehill.
McDonald thinks his daughter of Magnus is entitled to recognition as the best filly of her generation and is looking forward to her getting the chance to prove it in this weekend’s 1200-metre event.
“We’ve met her twice and beaten her twice,” McDonald said of Chayan.
“I feel my filly is the best filly in the land at the moment and she’s probably the best two-year-old, because she’s been the most consistent from the spring to the autumn.
“She’s had five starts for two seconds, two wins and an unlucky fifth on the track where you couldn’t make ground. She’s been consistently good the whole way through.”
Streisand’s wins in the Blue Diamond and Blue Diamond Prelude followed a fifth placing in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Preview, while she was narrowly beaten in both the Listed Maribyrnong Trial and $500,000 Inglis Banner last spring.
Streisand is one of only two in this year’s Golden Slipper who have started five times – the other being Shiki – which McDonald feels is an asset that will enable her to cope with the four weeks between runs.
Only three horses have won the Slipper off a gap of at least four weeks in the past 40 years, one of them Courtza, who McDonald’s father Ross trained to complete the Diamond/Slipper double in 1989.
Courtza is one of only five two-year-olds to win both the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper with colt Sepoy (2011) the only to have done so since.
McDonald’s grandfather on the maternal side, Bon Hoysted, also prepared a horse to complete the double with Manikato achieving the feat in 1978.
“I followed a bit of the same path as dad did with Courtza and we’re going straight to the Slipper (from the Blue Diamond), but we feel that she’s got the race smarts and the race sense to be able to do that,” he said.
Streisand drew barrier 11 in the Slipper, but will come into nine if the third and fourth emergencies don’t gain a start and her Diamond win from gate 10 gives McDonald confidence the barrier won’t be a reason for defeat.
“It was a slow tempo, but she still sat wide and sprinted off it, so I think she’s in it right up to her ears,” he said.
“She can race on speed, she can race back, she goes on wet and dry. She’s got no chinks in her armour.”
As she was in the Blue Diamond, Streisand will be ridden by Ben Melham, who is chasing a second Golden Slipper win following victory on She Will Reign in 2017.
