Ashokan added to trainer John O'Shea's gathering forces for the Golden Slipper Stakes when he surged to the top of the order of entry with a classy win over the previously unbeaten Raceway in the $125,000 Hyland Colours Skyline Stakes at Randwick today.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Ashokan, racing for just the second time after a promising debut second at Rosehill three weeks ago, showed speed and stamina to win the Skyline and secure ballot exemption for the $3.5 million AAMI Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 7.
Ridden by Jim Cassidy, Ashokan was keen to race wearing blinkers for the first time and gave his rider a difficult time in the run to the home turn sitting outside the speedy Lord Duveen as the pair shared the lead.
However Ashokan showed his class to surge to a clear lead in the straight and then raised another effort in the last 100m to hold off a late finish from the Gai Waterhouse-trained favourite Raceway in a sterling guide to their Golden Slipper chances.
Raceway was not ridden for speed from his wide gate and was allowed to drift back to midfield in the early stages, settling about six lengths off the leaders in the run to the home turn.
He was pushed wide when starting his run on the point of the turn and lost no caste as a top Golden Slipper contender with his strong finish, making up; several lengths on the winner in the last 200m to be beaten three-quarters of a length.
Collect, the colt who has been sensationally backed to win the Skyline and the Golden Slipper in the previous 24 hours, finished only a half head way in third after looming as the winner at the 200m. He had been backed to win more than $200,000 with TAB Sportsbet in the lead-up to the race.
Collect has also been backed in one bet to win $500,000 in the Golden Slipper but after two starts he remains outside the top 40 on the order of entry and will need to win one of the remaining four qualifying races to secure a start.
O'Shea now has prospects of lining up three high class colts in the Golden Slipper with Ashokan, Black Opal Stakes second Faustus and the promising Shelford all in contention.
Shelford, who has raced just once for a close second to Raceway at Warwick Farm, was a late scratching from the Skyline Stakes after a track downgrade to a slow 7 and will now attempt to qualify for a Slipper start through next Saturday's Todman Stakes at Rosehill.
Cassidy was impressed by Ashokan's performance but also the option to ride stablemate Faustus, currently inside the top 18 on the order of entry, in the Golden Slipper and will delay a decision on his ride until after that colt runs in the Todman Stakes.
However Cassidy said Ashokan had shown that he could measure up to the pressure of the Slipper with his Skyline win.
"He really went from cheese to chalk today. He was really switched on in the blinkers for the first time and I was bit worried he had done too much work in the first half against himself but he dug deep and showed class," Cassidy said of Ashokan's performance.
"I think he's the real deal. He's improved a lot from his first start and is going places."
O'Shea expects Ashokan to take a lot of benefit from the win and the experience of racing in blinkers for the first time.
"He's learning and that's probably going to be his issue going into the Slipper but he was strong though the line and can only improve," O'Shea said.
"He's got very good gate speed and if we get the right conditions in the Slipper he' is going to be in the mix."
