The 2015 Golden Slipper odds of English have continued to lengthen in the past 24 hours, but trainer Gai Waterhouse believes that the undefeated filly is a genuine winning chance in the Group 1 event at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Trainer Gai Waterhouse is confident that English is capable of winning the 2015 Golden Slipper. Photo by: Steve Hart
English made her racing debut with an impressive three and a half lengths victory in a maiden at Kembla Grange on January 31 before she stamped herself as a genuine Golden Slipper contender with a quality win in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on March 7.
Waterhouse told Racing Ahead that she was delighted with the improvement that English made between her first and second starts and she is confident that the daughter of Encosta De Lago has the talent required to win the 2015 Golden Slipper.
“Her improvement from when she won at Kembla to when she won the Reisling was something like six or seven lengths and they don’t do that,” Waterhouse said.
“She is a very unassuming filly, she is a long lean filly and she is a daughter of Encosta De Lago.
“She is bred to be a top class horse and she can win it.
“She is perfectly drawn in barrier six and the Kelly family knows how to breed a Slipper winner.”
Vancouver has dominated the build-up to the Golden Slipper and Waterhouse rates the colt her best chance in the race, but she said that she is more than happy to have talented filly Speak Fondly in the 2015 Golden Slipper field.
Speak Fondly made her racing debut with a third place finish behind Calaverite in the Listed Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) at Royal Randwick on October 4 and finished a close second behind Always Allison in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) at Warwick Farm on February 28 before she recorded her maiden race win in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 14.
Waterhouse said that Speak Fondly has come out of her Magic Night Stakes run well and she believes that the daughter of Northern Meteor has found her best form at the right time heading into the Golden Slipper.
“I like back-up horses and I wouldn’t be starting her in the Slipper if she wasn’t a 110 percent right,” Waterhouse said.
“Goree are great breeders and she is a very mature filly, she has a massive hindquarter very much like Sweet Idea or Ha Ha.
“She has come right at the right time and she has had a spring preparation unlike her stablemate English.”
English has drifted out to 2015 Golden Slipper odds of $17 with Ladbrokes, while Speak Fondly is currently available at a quote of $31.
