Racing
The Saturday Look Ahead with Ray Thomas
Trainer Michael Freedman isn't letting Incognito's hoodoo barrier reduce his confidence levels on the eve of the Group 1 $5 million TAB Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Incognito was allocated gate 16 at Tuesday's barrier draw but the colt will move into the 13 starting position once the emergencies come out of the Golden Slipper at the 7.30am Saturday deadline.Since the race was first run in 1957, every barrier has produced at least one Slipper winner – except barrier 13!
But Freedman, who trained Marhoona (2025) and Stay Inside (2021) to win the Golden Slipper, sent an upbeat message to Incognito's ownership group after the barrier draw.
"Michael said 'there has been no winner out of barrier 13 which tells me one is coming soon','' leading syndicator James Harron said.
"It is quite incredible in the history of the Golden Slipper no winner has come out of 13 but a couple of come out of 16, and there has been good winners all around (13).''
Incognito is one of two Golden Slipper runners for Harron as he also syndicated the Chris Waller-trained Fireball.
This is some achievement by Harron to find two colts from a foal crop of nearly 13,000 that are good enough to qualify for the 16-horse Slipper field.
"There are a couple of races that really move the needle for these colts and the Slipper is at the very top of the list.
"So, to get two into the race with Golden Slipper-winning trainers and Golden Slipper winning jockeys is great.''
Incognito, who will be ridden by three-time Slipper winner Tommy Berry, won the Breeders Plate back in spring but has been unplaced in his three autumn lead-up runs. The one-time Golden Slipper favourite is now out to $41.
"He also feels there have been genuine excuses for Incognito at his last three starts and that we haven't seen the best of him yet.
"Hopefully, in a high pressure race which we have come to expect in a Golden Slipper will suit this colt.
"Maybe because I'm in the inner sanctum and listening to Tom and Michael, their confidence is keeping the dream alive, but I do think Incognito is way over-priced in the Slipper market.''
Harron is chasing his second win in the big race after celebrating a decade ago with Capitalist, the last horse to win the Breeders Plate-Golden Slipper double.
The leading syndicator has another strong Slipper contender with $15 chance Fireball, trained by Chris Waller and ridden by James McDonald.
Fireball won his first two starts including the Inglis Millennium then had no luck when sixth to Campione D'Italia in the Skyline Stakes.
"It was always the plan to go three weeks, three weeks to keep him on the fresher side but he did it tough in the Skyline then the 'door' closed on him in the straight.
"But there has been significant improvement in Fireball since Chris put the blinkers on and James has been really upbeat about the colt.
"James said the colt is going as well as he can and will run a huge race in his Grand Final.''
Harron said Incognito and Fireball have "a lot of going for them" going into the Golden Slipper.
"Both have had pre-Christmas wins which has been significant in the history of this race,'' he said.
"They handle pressure and we have champion trainers and jockeys on our side.''
Harron agrees Saturday's big race is the most open he has ever seen.
"It's quite incredible how much prdizemoney has been needed this year to get into the race,'' he said.
"This is one of the most exciting Golden Slippers I have been involved with because everyone thinks they are a genuine chance, and they probably are.
"The build-up has been amazing and I thought Tuesday's barrier draw had more people and energy in the room than previous years.
"The reality is the Golden Slipper is one of the races we are famous for. It is the pinnacle for tough, precocious, strong sprinting horses which have put Australian racing on the map globally.
"Golden Slippers are extremely hard to win but the history of the race shows it converts the colts into our leading stallions and the fillies into our best broodmares. The race deserves all the accolades.''
G1 HORSES EVERYWHERE
There is no shortage of elite equine quality racing on Saturday with 30 individual Group 1 winners competing at Rosehill Gardens and Caulfield.
The Golden Slipper meeting at Rosehill boasts five Group 1 races and total prizemoney of nearly $10 million so, understandably, it is going to attract some of the best racehorses in training.
In fact, no fewer than 19 individual Group 1 winners are racing on Slipper Day with eight big-race winners clashing in the $1 million George Ryder Stakes (1500m) – unbeaten mare Autumn Glow, defending champ Gringotts, Pericles, Linebacker, Lady Shenandoah, and the crack colts Beiwacht, Attica and Nepotism.
The $1 million The Galaxy (1100m) is a star-studded sprint that has four Group 1 winners in the field including the "Grey Flash" Briasa and last year's Golden Slipper winner Marhoona, who are joined by Mazu and Reserve Bank.
Top three-year-olds Observer and Autumn Boy go head-to-head in the $750,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and the $5 million Golden Slipper field includes Blue Diamond winner Streisand.
There's another reason to remember the great Manikato on Saturday with the running of the Group 1 $1 million William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
Manikato won the William Reid five years in succession between 1979-83 when the feature sprint had Group 2 status and was run at Moonee Valley.
There are eight individual Group 1 winners in the William Reid field tomorrow – Jimmysstar, Jigsaw, Baraqiel, Tropicus, Charm Stone, Benedetta, Magic Time and Devil Night.
Treasurethe Moment and Benagil headline the Group 2 $300,000 Sunline Stakes (1600m) and VRC Oaks winner Strictly Business resumes in the Group 3 $200,000 Alexandra Stakes (1600m).
SLIPPER HISTORY AWAITS
Stay Inside, the brilliant 2021 Golden Slipper hero, can join an exclusive club if his son, Incognito wins the world's richest two-year-old race tomorrow.
Since the Golden Slipper was first run in 1957, eight winners have gone to stud and sired a Slipper winner.
Todman, a stunning inaugural Golden Slipper winner, sired Eskimo Prince (1964) and Sweet Embrace (1967), a feat the runaway 1969 winner Vain achieved with Sir Dapper (1983) and Inspired (1984).
Baguette (1970) sired the 1980 winner Dark Eclipse, Marscay (1982) had the brilliant filly Bint Marscay (1993), Marauding (1987) sired Burst (1992) and Prowl (1998), Danzero (1994) had Dance Hero (2004), Flying Spur (1995) with Forensics (2007), and Stratum (2005) was the sire of Crystal Lily (2010).
Arrowfield Stud's super stallion Snitzel has already sired three Golden Slipper winners with Marhoona (2025), Shinzo (2023) and Estijaab (2018), and he has two colts in Saturday's big race with Fireball and Campione D'Italia.
Extreme Choice, Newgate's champion sire, also has dual representation with Hidrix and Paradoxium.
Hidrix cost $1.7 million at the Inglis Easter Sale last year and is the most expensive yearling purchase in Saturday's Slipper field.
Incognito is the only other $1 million-plus yearling purchase to qualify for the Golden Slipper, having cost exactly $1 million at the Magic Millions last year.