Earthquake Draws Wide In 2014 Golden Slipper Barrier Draw

The 2014 Golden Slipper barrier draw has been completed; with classy filly Earthquake drawing an outside gate for the Group 1 event that will be run at Rosehill Gardens this weekend.

Ghibellines was the big winner of the 2014 Golden Slipper barrier draw and will jump from barrier two in the Group 1 event this weekend.

Ghibellines was the big winner of the 2014 Golden Slipper barrier draw and will jump from barrier two in the Group 1 event this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart

Jockey Kerrin McEvoy drew barrier 13 for Earthquake, a gate that has never housed the Golden Slipper winner, but the Blue Diamond Stakes winner will jump from barrier 12 once emergency Scratch Me Lucky is removed from the field.

It was speculated that Earthquake would start the 2014 Golden Slipper as an odds-on favourite, but the daughter of Exceed And Excel is now out to odds of $2.30 after the barrier draw this morning.

Second favourite Mossfun also drew an outside gate at the  Golden Slipper barrier draw this morning and will jump from barrier ten once Scratch Me Lucky is removed from the field.

Mossfun was available at 2014 Golden Slippers odds of $6 before the barrier draw and has remained steady at those odds after finishing a credible second behind Earthquake in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 22.

Other horses that have drawn wide gates for the Golden Slipper include Magic Millions Classic winner Unencumbered (barrier 14), Peter Morgan-trained Eloping (barrier 15), progressive filly Believe Yourself (barrier 16) and Darley-owned Memorial (barrier 17).

The big winner from the 2014 Golden Slipper barrier draw was Earthquake’s stablemate Ghibellines, who drew ideally in barrier two.

Ghibellines was available at long odds to take out the Group 1 event after he failed to fire in the Listed Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on February 15 and the Listed Black Opal Stakes (1200m) in Canberra on March 9, but stamped himself as a genuine Golden Slipper contender with an impressive win from the back of the field in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 22.

The Shamardal colt was available at Golden Slippers odds as long as $12 this morning, but is now into a quote of $9 following the barrier draw this morning.

Another juvenile whose winning chances were enhanced by the Golden Slipper barrier draw is Bring Me The Maid, who will jump from barrier five with jockey Chad Schofield, who will be making his debut in the Group 1 event, on board.

Bring Me The Maid made her racing debut with a narrow win in the Listed Sports 1000 (1000m) at Flemington on March 1 and was an unlucky when third in the Listed Chandler Macleod St Albans Stakes (1200m) before earning a start in the 2014 Golden Slipper field by winning the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained duo of Valentia (barrier four) and Law (barrier seven) also drew towards the inside of the Golden Slipper field, while Jabali will jump from barrier one – the gate that has produced the past two winners of the $3.5 million Group 1 event.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.