Danny Bougoure has Oakleigh Girl in the 2014 Golden Slipper field and the veteran trainer is delighted to have his first runner in the race since Pete’s Choice finished ninth behind Inspired in the 1984 edition of the race.
Oakleigh Girl will take her place in the 2014 Golden Slipper, despite not having a race start since she finished second in the Magic Millions Classic. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Bougoure gave Oakleigh Girl little chance of making the Golden Slipper field when he sent her to the spelling paddock following her second place finish behind Unencumbered in the Magic Millions Classic; with Bougoure planning not to run the Snitzel filly until the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival.
However, Oakleigh Girl made rapid progress while in the spelling paddock and Bougoure took advantage of the opportunity to have his first Golden Slipper runner in 20 years.
“She had a pretty long prep for her first preparation; she went to Melbourne and back to Brisbane and she had a couple of hard runs,” Bougoure told Sky Racing HQ this morning.
“I thought that we probably wouldn’t see her until the spring because those last couple of runs really took the fat out of her.
“After two weeks she put on 28 kilos and the third week she put on a further ten kilos and I thought I better get her back.
“The timeline with her was very tight and if we had any little hiccup we were in trouble.
“Everything has gone according to plan.
“The track is probably a little bit wetter than I would have liked, but that is what we got.”
Oakleigh Girl will be going into the Golden Slipper field without a lead-up run, but has performed strongly in two barrier trials; scoring a win in a trial over 800 metres at Warwick Farm on March 11 and a five lengths victory over Golden Slipper rival Law at Rosehill Gardens on March 21.
Bougoure admits that he would have liked to be able to give Oakleigh Girl a race start in the lead-up to the Group 1 event, but said that he is happy with the condition of the two-year-old and believes she is in the best form of her brief racing career.
“I think she is going better than before the Magic Millions; there is no doubt in my mind about that,” Bougoure said.
“She is a little bit stronger and looks excellent in the coat.
“I am pretty happy to be taking her to the races today.”
Oakleigh Girl is currently available at 2014 Golden Slipper odds of $18; with Earthquake ($2.80) set to jump favourite from Mossfun ($4.20), Bring Me The Maid ($9) and Ghibellines ($13).
