Samaready came to Sydney with a big reputation on the back of her Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes win and the Mick Price trained filly left Rosehill with it further enhanced after winning the $300,000 Group 2 Jacobs Creek Reisling Stakes on Saturday.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The compact filly did everything she was asked of in the race by Craig Newitt, and then went away from the field with ease to win by an untroubled 2L, and with Newitt riding the final 50m hands and heels.
The filly was slow away from barrier five as The Broken Shore went clear to then be overtaken by Ciao. Snitzerland was third.
Samaready settled second last as the leaders went through to the 500m and Newitt then made a move to the outside to improve his position to keep in touch with the leaders. The filly slipped out four wide and eased up to the leaders as they went past the 400m mark.
Newitt had Samaready racing outside Snitzerland exactly where he wanted to be. The two fillies raced together to the 200m and momentarily it looked like a contest, but then Samaready exercised her superior ability and she went away leaving the rest behind.
Hussousa was second racing closer to the rails, with Meidung stylishly finishing third, the margin a half-neck. Snitzerland was fifth.
The time was 1.12.05 on the Dead 5 track, with the final 600m in 35.72. The males clocked 1.12.14 and 35.70 for their race in the Group 2 Spotless Todman Stakes (1200m) with Pierro just winning by a short half-head over Epaulette.
“I think that is as about as much as you would want to see," Price said.
"I know she was sort of second last there but not a long way off and I thought he made the right move at the right time when they were walking up front."
“She got run off the track a little there by Snitzerland and I thought her last 100m was good. If she had run second today I would have been disappointed but I have tried to allow for plenty of improvement for the Slipper so she is basically done and ready now.
“All I have to do is one gallop Tuesday week and she should be right. She is the right filly to do it.
“All my training geniuses at Caulfield just tell me to keep her breathing. I train a lot of horses basically the same as that and they do not all do what she does so and the different being is that she has the motor. They just make you look good as a trainer these fillies.
“Her weight is right for that race to bring her on, so relieved and happy, and the filly is good and she is very quiet. She is sometimes difficult to read as she lolls around and nothing bothers her, but I thought today was a test. She had to make a sustained run. That is what all the good horses do, they make long 600m runs,” he said.
“Really good, she dropped the bit and relaxed, she never swapped off her Sydney leg the entire way which what we were looking for and she dominated,” said Newitt.
“If anything she probably got there a little bit too quick. She was right on top of them turning for home and it is a fairly long run in. I just sat on her and let her gather up and it was a pretty soft win in the end.
"I do not think you could get a better Slipper lead up. Pierro has had a hard run and I thought he was all along the one to beat. We have come out with a big margin and hopefully we can draw a good marble and she will be able to do it,” he said.
Samaready and Pierro have further justified their favouritism in TAB Sportsbet's Group 1 AAMI Golden Slipper market for the rich $3.5 million race on April 7th.
With each horse taking out the Jacobs Creek Reisling Slipper Trial and Spotless Todman Slipper Trial respectively, the pair which began the day at the head of Golden Slipper betting solidified their positions.
Market moves after the two juvenile races on Saturday include Samaready $3.20 into $2.50; Pierro $6.00 into $5.50; Epaulette $17 into $11 after running second to Pierro and Meidung $51 into $35 after running third to Samaready.
One punter was confident that Samaready would not have trouble handing the Sydney way of going the first time and outlaid $40,000 @ $1.50 on her to win the Reisling Stakes.
Samaready is now four wins from four starts for owners Vinery Stud managed by Peter Orton, Greenwich Stud managed by G Perry, Echo Beach Bloodstock managed by A Green, Newstead managed by N Gibson and Encompass Bloodstock managed by S McCann.
The win added a further $180,000 to the former total of $733,450.
