Next month’s Golden Slipper picture continued to take shape at Rosehill last Saturday with Mossfun maintaining her unbeaten record.
Golden Slipper markets were reshuffled after the Silver Slipper at Rosehill last Saturday with Mossfun becoming second favourite with a bullet after her dominant display in the Group 2.
A fortnight after taking out the Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m), Mossfun lined up in what looked a strong renewal of the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m).
The event possessed a number of key juvenile form lines from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
It was the former however which held up strongest in the testing conditions with Mossfun claiming the Silver Slipper Stakes with ease.
Settling outside the Gai Waterhouse-trained Law, the daughter of Mossman travelled sweetly in transit and coasted away from her opposition 300m out.
Mossfun put four lengths on her nearest rival Press Report with Maribyrnong Plate Trial winner Risen From Doubt battling on well for third.
Law was left behind by Mossfun in fourth while the disappointment of the race was Magic Millions Classic winner Unencumbered.
Jockey Nathan Berry reported the Testa Rossa colt failed to get through the rain affected ground as he finished fifth.
Mossfun has improved noticeably with each run of her career and the filly after last Saturday’s Silver Slipper Stakes now possesses a master Timeform figure of 116p.
Her win continues the dominance of fillies in the Silver Slipper since 2000 with 11 of the past 15 renewals having been claimed by the fairer sex.
The Team Hawkes-trained filly will progress to the Golden Slipper (1200m) on April 5 via the Reisling Stakes (1200m) a fortnight earlier.
Mossfun is currently the new $8 second elect for the Group 1 Golden Slipper behind Blue Diamond Stakes winner Earthquake.
The past two renewals of the Silver Slipper have been good form references for the Golden Slipper with Pierro going unbeaten through a juvenile campaign commencing in the event before claiming the 2YO Sydney Triple Crown.
In 2013, Sweet Idea won the Silver Slipper Stakes before running third in the main event behind stablemate Overreach.
Four juveniles have claimed the Silver Slipper – Golden Slipper double with those being Eskimo Prince (1964), Baguette (1970), Luskin Star (1978) and Pierro (2012).
No filly has claimed the double although Silver Slipper winning fillies Victory Vein (2002), Hasna (2003) and Sweet Idea (2013) all came close with their Golden Slipper placings.
Third favourite for the Golden Slipper marginally behind Mossfun is Magic Millions Classic winner Unencumbered.
The Bjorn Baker colt drifted in early markets after his first up flop and while capable of far better as evidenced by prior form, history against the colt moving forward towards the Golden Slipper is against.
Unencumbered has been a revelation for connections winning five of his six career starts prior to last Saturday’s event.
The son of Testa Rossa possesses a master Timeform figure of 115 after his Magic Millions Classic victory, six pounds shy of Earthquake’s Blue Diamond Stakes winning performance.
Unencumbered will have to improve further on his current master figure and after a busy two-year-old season so far it appears a tough ask.
The Todman Stakes (1200m) will likely be Unencumbered’s next assignment prior to contesting the Golden Slipper at his ninth career start.
The only horse to win the Golden Slipper at their ninth start was the Bart Cummings-trained Vivarchi in 1976.
Pago Pago claimed the 1963 Golden Slipper at his tenth career start while tough filly Reisling took out the 1965 renewal at her 11th raceday outing.
Second in their respective Silver Slipper outings, Haha (2001) and Polar Success (2003) each went on to win the Golden Slippers of those years.
It is not a common occurrence though and history overall points to Mossfun being the one to follow from last Saturday’s Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill.
