Favourites Draw Ideally into 2018 Golden Slipper Field
Sunlight will resume in Saturday's Lightning Stakes in Adelaide. Photo: Steve Hart

Favourites Draw Ideally into 2018 Golden Slipper Field

An outstanding field of juveniles has been confirmed for Saturday’s featured Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill and we are set for another exciting edition of the world’s richest race for two-year-olds.

There is a case to be made for close to every runner in the capacity Golden Slipper field, but the market suggests we will witness a sprint-off between Magic Millions winner Sunlight ($4.40) and Blue Diamond Stakes winner Written By ($4.80).

Leading filly Sunlight has enjoyed an ideal lead-in to the feature and is race favourite in our 2018 Golden Slipper market.

Sunlight has shown above-average ability from her first competitive start when third in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (1000m) in October, but she has continued to improve with the experience of racing.

Resuming from a freshen-up for a dominant five-length win in a 900m race on the Gold Coast in December, the daughter of Zoustar repeated that effort and result in the Aquisfarm On Twitter Plate (1100m) on January 6th before bolting in to easily take the $1.2 million winner’s check in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m).

Sunlight undoubtedly produced her toughest performance to date when she dug deep to beat Estijaab in the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) on February 24th and she completed her tune-up with another relatively carefree win in the Group 3 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) last weekend.

Regular hoop Luke Currie will take the ride and Sunlight will prove extremely difficult to beat from barrier 5 on Saturday afternoon.

Written By is yet to taste anything but success in his short but impressive racing career to date and is also the only Group 1 winner in the Golden Slipper 2018 field.

Written By stamped himself as a colt to follow when he debuted for a smart win over 1000m at Sandown on December 2nd and he was immediately put away, with a view towards the major Autumn Carnival races.

Resuming for a tough on-pace win in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on February 10th, the Written Tycoon colt justified a late go in betting when he kicked clear to win the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) by close to three lengths a fortnight later.

Having completed an ideal lead-in to the Slipper by running and subsequently winning on the Sydney leg for the first time in last weekend’s Group 3 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m), Written By will also be given every opportunity in the Slipper from an ideal draw (barrier 5).

Queensland raider Ef Troop will look to take a position on pace from the ideal barrier 2 and will give them something to chase in the straight.

The son of Spirit Of Boom was a half-length winner at Doomben on debut in November, but put himself forward for loftier targets when he won the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes (1110m) by nearly six lengths on December 16th.

Ef Troop was far from disgraced when he boxed on for fourth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and he tuned-up for this race when a close second in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) last time out on March 10th.

Ryan Collett will take the ride on the two-year-old and he looks over the odds at a current $16/$4.80 quote.

Performer threw jockey Hugh Bowman in the final strides of the Todman Stakes a fortnight ago, but is he is the early market mover to win the Golden Slipper and is $8.50 into $7.50, despite also drawing a wide and awkward.

Santos ($8) and Victorian filly Seabrook ($8.50) are the only other horses currently available at single-figure Golden Slipper odds.