Believe Yourself has put herself in contention for the Golden Slipper with a stylish win at Randwick shortly after her Gerald Ryan-trained stablemate Time For War ruled himself out.
Time For War played up in the barrier stalls before Saturday’s Skyline Stakes and got away from the attendants after being backed out of the gates.
Valentia - Photo by Steve Hart
He ran a circuit of the track before he was caught and will have to go back to the trials.
The Skyline was won by Valentia, a Fastnet Rock colt owned by Coolmore and trained by Gai Waterhouse who says he will definitely be part of her team for the $3.5 million Slipper on April 5.
“He will go straight to the Slipper,” Waterhouse said.
“He is a lovely natured horse and very relaxed.”
Ryan describes Believe Yourself in much the same way and despite the fact he has had nine individual two-year-old winners this season, she is his only confirmed Slipper runner after getting the better of the Waterhouse-trained Twirl in the Sweet Embrace Stakes.
“She is small but perfect,” Ryan said.
“She is such an honest little thing and keeps surprising me. She has earned a start in the Slipper on that win.
“Time For War didn’t surprise me because he has played up before and we just have to go back and try again.”
Believe Yourself is raced by Singapore-based Japanese businessman Tom Sekiguchi who told Ryan he wanted a Golden Slipper runner.
The filly missed a start in the Inglis Nursery won by leading Slipper contender Mossfun in December and had to make her debut at Kembla Grange which she duly won.
The Sweet Embrace was just her second start.
Unbeaten filly Earthquake, already a Group One winner of the Blue Diamond Stakes, is the firm favourite for the Golden Slipper and is scheduled to run in next week’s Reisling Stakes.
