Trainer Gai Waterhouse has joined her father T.J. Smith as the only trainer in history to win the Golden Slipper on six occasions after Vancouver proved too strong for his rivals in the final stages of the 2015 edition of the race.
Vancouver was caught wide throughout the Golden Slipper and he was challenged by his stablemate English at the 200 metre mark, but he pulled clear in the final 50 metres to maintain his unbeaten record in impressive fashion.
Jockey Tommy Berry rode Vancouver as if he was the best horse in the race from his wide barrier and was happy to let the Medaglia D’Oro colt travel three wide just behind the leaders, while Haptic made sure that the race was run at a genuine speed.
Read more about Vancouver’s historic Golden Slipper win
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The 2015 Golden Slipper results will be available in less than four hours and there is still plenty of time to work out who will be the winner of the Group 1 event that will be held at Rosehill Gardens this afternoon.
Vancouver is rated the horse to beat in the 2015 Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens this afternoon. Photo by: Steve Hart
Vancouver is currently a clear favourite in 2015 Golden Slipper betting markets and he is worthy of his place as the horse to beat in the world’s richest two-year-old event after started his racing career with three straight victories.
The Medaglia D’Oro colt made his racing debut with a professional victory in the Listed New South Wales Thoroughbreds Breeders Plate (1000m) at Royal Randwick on October 4 and after a stint in the spelling paddock he returned to racing with a win in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on January 31, in a performance that showed the versatility of the talented colt.
Waterhouse elected not to run Vancouver in the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) and he was replaced at the top of Golden Slipper betting markets by Headwater, but he reclaimed his title as the horse to beat in the Golden Slipper when he produced one of the most impressive performances from a two-year-old in recent years in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on March 7.
Exosphere is considered by many racing experts to be the main danger to Vancouver in the Golden Slipper and the Lonhro colt has been the best-backed runner in the lead-up to the Golden Slipper.
The two-year-old made a poor start to his racing career when he finished at the tail of the field in the CFMEU/West Tradies Plate (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 1, but he started his autumn preparation with a win in the Valentines Day Maiden Plate (1000m) at Kembla Grange on February 14 before he stamped himself as a Golden Slipper contender with an effortless victory in the Group 2 Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Warwick Farm on February 28.
Furnaces, Ottoman and Headwater were all Golden Slipper favourites at one stage in the months leading up to the race, but their form has dropped off slightly in the fortnight leading into the race.
Ottoman stormed home from the tail of the field to win on debut at Rosehill Gardens on December 20, but she failed to fire in the Silver Slipper Stakes and was beaten by English in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on March 7, while Furnaces is also without a win this preparation.
Headwater produced an explosive performance in the Silver Slipper Stakes, but he was one of the first horses beaten in the Todman Stakes and would need to produce a much improved performance to win the Golden Slipper.
The 2015 Golden Slipper will be run at Rosehill Gardens at 4.30PM this afternoon and you will be able to find all the Golden Slipper results at horseracing.com.au.
