The juvenile form puzzle will begin to mesh together in Saturday’s Silver Slipper as King’s Gambit meets a group of horses from the Magic Millions with the additional form reference to Golden Slipper favourite Learning To Fly.
The Inglis Millenium winner Learning To Fly became the standout two-year-old of the season last week but as Adrian Bott, who in partnership with Gai Waterhouse has one of their strongest team of babies for many a year, pointed out that two-year-old racing is about continual improvement.
Platinum Jubilee surges to the front in the Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick last year.Credit:Getty
Tulloch Lodge already has 11 two-year-old wins this season starting with Platinum Jubilee in the Gimcrack Stakes in October, and she is their offering in an interesting Silver Slipper at Rosehill.
“She has been very precocious, very professional and very straightforward, and that shows on the track,” Bott said. “She is a Gimcrack winner and has never disgraced herself on the track and continues to go in the right direction.”
After her Gimcrack win, Platinum Jubilee was nailed late in her lead-up run to the Magic Millions at Randwick in December before finishing runner-up to Skirt The Law at the Gold Coast.
“We left a little in the tank in the lead-up run, and she just got a little further back than we expected in the Magic Millions, but both runs were very good,” Bott said.
“At this time of year, what you have done helps, but you need to keep stepping up right through to the Golden Slipper to be the right horse.
“You will see she’s a little more forward for Saturday than before the Magic Millions lead-up, and she will be right in the mix.”
King’s Gambit is the $2.60 Silver Slipper top pick . Platinum Jubilee and Godolphin colt Cylinder at are at $4.60, in front of Mumbai Muse, which was third to Learning To Fly on debut, at $6.
Platinum Jubilee already has enough money to get into the Golden Slipper from her two Sydney runs and, along with the unbeaten Red Resistance and The Instructor, which will run in the Blue Diamond next weekend, she forms the core of the Tulloch Lodge Golden Slipper team.
“There are others; Summer Loving [which was third in the Magic Millions] probably needs to win the Sweet Embrace Stakes to get in it, but she is going well,” Bott said.
Away from the two-year-olds, the Waterhouse-Bott team continues to thrive, and Cross Talk will make his return as a short-priced favourite at Rosehill on Saturday.
“He had had enough by the time he got to the Epsom in the spring; it was probably a run too far for him,” Bott said. “He has had a good break and will head to the Doncaster, he is very fresh and ready to go first-up.”
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