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Holmes A Court overwhelms short-priced favourite in Black Opal Stakes en-route to Golden Slipper.

Capitalist colt Holmes A Court laid down his Group 1 Golden Slipper claims with a commanding win in the Group 3 Black Opal Stakes (1200m) at Canberra.

The victory continued the near quarter of a century drought for odds-on favourites in the race with a game run from the highly fancied Fully Lit ($1.65) delivering a second placing, 0.14-lengths behind the winner, with Amazing Eagle ($8) more than a length away in third.

Holmes A Court ($7), ridden by Tommy Berry, broke his maiden after two starts at Caulfield, firstly with a second placing to stablemate High Octane in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) on January 26 and then finished third to another stable Slipper contender – Bodyguard – in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Preview (1100m) two weeks later.

It was a first Black Opal Stakes win for Berry while the Snowdens have been successful in three of the past five years.

Holmes A Court was an $850,000 purchase at the 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is at $26 across markets for the 1200-metre Golden Slipper on March 30.

Storm Boy holds Slipper favouritism at $2.20 with impressive Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) winner Switzerland at $4.50.   

The Snowden stable also took out the Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m) with Xidaki ($7) earlier on the card.

The Listed Canberra Cup (2000m) saw Kris Lees net his second win in the $250,000 feature with Almania ($3.50) after taking the event with group one performer Mugatoo won in 2019.

This was Almania's third win in 21 starts following a narrow defeat in the Listed Parramatta Cup (1900m) on February 24.