Coolmore-owned colt Wodeton has rocketed into Golden Slipper favouritism following a scintillating debut win at Rosehill that has prompted James Mcdonald to compare him favourably to Switzerland at the same stage.
Bookmakers reacted quickly to the youngster’s trouncing victory in Saturday’s Chandon Handicap (1100m), winding Wodeton in from $13 to a clear-cut $5 top pick with betting sites for the juvenile showpiece.
McDonald said he was showing similar ability to that of stablemate Switzerland, the Group 1-winning colt who took out his first three starts 12 months ago before finishing eighth to Lady Of Camelot in the Golden Slipper.
“At the same stage, he is equally as good (as Switzerland),” McDonald said.
“He’s strong and big, he’s just got everything going for him.
“He has done everything so professionally at home and he has never come off the bridle. Like I’ve said to everyone, if he finds a length off the bridle, it’s going to be over. He exceeded expectations.”
By exciting first season sire Wootton Bassett, Wodeton was a $1.6 million Magic Millions purchase and had garnered attention from two promising barrier trial performances.
Sent out a $1.60 favourite, McDonald found a trailing position three-deep with cover and when he let Wodeton stride at the top of the straight, the colt exploded clear to score by a neat four-lengths over The Magic Man ($7) with Sanctified ($12) battling on for third, another 3-1/4 lengths in arrears.
Did we just see the Golden Slipper winner?! 😮
Wodeton wins brilliantly at Rosehill for @cwallerracing and @mcacajamez!@aus_turf_club | @CoolmoreAus pic.twitter.com/ZlCFYR68WS
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 18, 2025
Charlie Duckworth, deputising for trainer Chris Waller, admitted the stable had some concerns running the colt on a soft 7 track, but were keen to have the services of McDonald, who will miss next Saturday’s meeting due to overseas riding commitments.
“If it was in the heavy range we might have waited a week, but James won’t be here. We wanted to have James on, and we are fortunate to be racing on a soft deck today,” Duckworth said.
“Chris will plot a path to the Golden Slipper 2025.
“There is the Canonbury Stakes coming up in a fortnight, but we will see how he comes through this race.”
The event was delayed by more than five minutes when debutante Miss Fleetwood dislodged jockey Tom Sherry on the way to the starting stalls and proved a handful for officials to catch.
She was eventually rounded up unharmed, while Sherry also came through the incident unscathed.
