3 minute read

A look at the career record on Heavy tracks for sires represented in this year’s Golden Slipper.

More rain in Sydney overnight means, for the sixth time in 15 years, the Golden Slipper will be run on a Heavy track with the surface rated Heavy 8 on Saturday morning but with more showers predicted.

The saving grace for punters this year is that that most of the major local lead-ups have been run on similarly sodden surfaces.

But the Victorians will be confronted with conditions the likes of which they have not seen and favourite Coolangatta heads in having not run on anything worse than a Soft 6, meaning it is worthwhile visiting the Heavy track record of sires represented.

EPAULETTE (Daumier): Has had 192 individual starters on Heavy ground for 41 winners at a strike-rate of 21.4% but the overall numbers are 50 wins from 376 starters at 13%.

SEBRING (Sejardan): Won a Golden Slipper on a Heavy 10 and has transferred that propensity to handle wet ground onto his stock with 142 of his 552 runners (25.7%) who have started on Heavy tracks having recorded a win. Overall, Sebring progeny are 169 from 1249 on Heavy at 14%.

SNITZEL (Best Of Bordeaux): Snitzel won his only Group 1 – the Oakleigh Plate – on a Heavy 10 and boasts a 28.5 percent winners-to-runners record with 188 of his 660 starters on Heavy tracks having won. Overall, Snitzel progeny have had 1458 runs on Heavy tracks for 234 wins at 16%.

SHALAA (Seven Veils, Semillion): Only in his second season, so still building a profile but is eight from 50 winners-to-runners (16%) and eight from 60 overall (13%).

RUBICK (Jacquinot): Has had 127 individual starters for 22 wins (17.3%) with an overall record of 28 from 217 (13%). Among Rubick's progeny is Rubisaki, who loved the mud, while Jacquinot is out of a Pierro mare and Pierro has a 30.4% winners-to-runners ratio on Heavy ground at an overall record of 14%.

CAPITALIST (Sebonack): Like Shalaa, only in his second season, but just six of his 42 individual starters (14.3%) have won on the Heavy with those six wis coming from a total of 52 starts (12%).

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (Rise Of The Masses, Russian Conquest, Revolutionary Miss): Just seven of the Snitzel stallion's first crop have Heavy track experience with Slipper runner Rise Of The Masses his only winner. That's a 14.3% winners-to-runners record, but he is two-from-11 overall (18%).

WRITTEN TYCOON (Coolangatta): The sire of the favourite has had 489 individual runners, 93 of which have won (19%), but overall that falls to 11% with those 93 having combined for 112 wins from 2018 starts. The positive for the favourite is his dam Piping Hot is by More Than Ready, who has thrown more winners than any other sire, has a 22% winners-to-runners record and has produced two Golden Slipper winners – Sebring and Phelan Ready – both of whom on a Heavy 10.

I AM INVINCIBLE (Queen Of The Ball): Almost a quarter of all products who have started on a Heavy track have won – 103 of 422 at 24.4% - but he is only 13% overall with 117 wins from 920 starts.

REBEL DANE (Fireburn): Fireburn is one of just six Heavy track starters, three of which have won (50%). All three have won just once on Heavy, from a total of 10 starts, for an overall record of 30%.

EXCEED AND EXCEL (Ojai): Sire of Overreach, who won the 2013 Slipper on a Soft 7, but never saw a Heavy track. Has had 710 individual starters on Heavy ground for 152 winners (21.4%), while the overall record is 185 wins from 1501 runs (12%).

OVERSHARE (Lady Laguna): Runners-to-winners strike-rate of 100% stands out, but it needs to be noted that Slipper representative Lady Laguna has been the first-season sire's only starter on Heavy ground. She's had two starts on Heavy for a dominant win in a 2YO Handicap and a third placing in the G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (50%).

EXTREME CHOICE (She's Extreme): Sire of last year's winner Stay Inside, who won on a Soft 7, but never saw a Heavy track. Five of the 16 (31.2%) sons or daughters of the son of noted wet-track sire Not A Single Doubt have won with an overall record of five wins from 21 starts (24%).

DEEP FIELD (Sweet Ride): Of the established stallions, the son of Northern Meteor has the best winners-to-runners percentage, 52 winners from 160 individual starters at 32.5%, and the best overall strike rate of 18.5% thanks to 58 wins from 330 starts.