Frolic can overcome wide barrier in Golden Slipper

Jockey Tommy Berry is confident that Frolic can overcome a wide barrier and score another last to first win in the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Frolic, above, will have to overcome a wide barrier to win the 2017 Golden Slipper at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.

Frolic, above, will have to overcome a wide barrier to win the 2017 Golden Slipper at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.

Berry has ridden the Michael Freedman trained Frolic at her last three starts which includes two last to first wins and the big race jockey can see the filly doing it again to give him his third win in the world’s richest two year old race.

Berry has won the Golden Slipper twice for trainer Gai Waterhouse in 2013 on Overreach and two years later on Vancouver.

Frolic drew barrier seventeen in the original drew but will come into fifteen if all three emergencies fail to gain a start on Golden Slipper race day and Berry believes the wide gate won’t affect her chances.

“B15 for Frolic in the Slipper. She has drawn wide gates since day1 so hopefully it won’t worry her this time. Get back and fly home.” Berry tweeted.

Berry was aboard the Husson filly when she came from the tail of the field to win the Restricted Listed $250,000 Inglis Classic (1200m) at Randwick on February 13 and he adopted the same tactics when she beat Saturday’s rival She Will Reign on a heavy track in the Group 2 $300,000 Affinity Shopping Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on March 4 to secure a place in the Golden Slipper field.

Frolic has come through her latest run in good style and Berry said that he was pleased with her work at Randwick on Monday morning.

“Frolic really pleased me in her final gallop on the Course Proper this morning (Monday) before Saturday Golden Slipper,” Berry tweeted.

The Rosehill track was rated a heavy 9 on Wednesday morning after receiving 39.5mm of rain over the last seven days with more rain forecast for the rest of the week but the prospect of facing another rain affected track won’t worry Frolic who seemed to get through it okay in her two and a quarter lengths win in the Reisling Stakes.

Frolic is marked at $14 for the Golden Slipper at Ladbrokes.com.au while her stablemate Teaspoon is one of the outsiders of the field at $31.

The Toby Edmonds trained Houtzen has won twice on a soft track but is yet to race on a heavy surface but still sits at the top of the Golden Slipper market order at $4.40 just ahead of Gary Portelli’s filly She Will Reign at $5.

Houtzen is undefeated from four race starts and the Queensland trained filly can boast of an all the way win in the $2m Jeep Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 14 while She Will Reign suffered her first defeat from four starts when second to Frolic in the Reisling Stakes.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.