Melbourne jockey Nick Hall has retained the ride on Ready For Victory in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.
Melbourne jockey Nick Hall will ride Ready For Victory, above, in the Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.
Hall was aboard the Mick Price trained Ready For Victory when the colt scored a come from behind debut win in the Listed $120,000 Festival Of Racing 1000 (1000m) at Flemington on March 7.
Price said that the More Than Ready colt has shown him enough to warrant a trip north to take on the strong contingent of Sydney two year olds.
“He’ll stay at Rosehill and Nick Hall will ride him in the Golden Slipper,” Price told racing.com.
The relatively inexperienced Ready For Victory will head to Sydney with only the one race start to his credit and Price will give him some practice of running the reverse way at Caulfield on Tuesday morning before he is floated up the Hume Highway.
“He’ll work the reverse way here at Caulfield tomorrow morning,” Price said.
Price was impressed with Ready For Victory’s first up winning effort, in particular the way he was able to gather in the leaders over the final stages.
“I think those horses that improve from the 600m and just keep improving each furlong, they show good depth of ability and that’s what he did, so his ability got him the win,” Price said.
“He’s got to get on a float for Sydney and go the reverse way – obviously a very big task but he can’t win it sitting at home.”
Ladbrokes.com.au currently have Ready For Victory placed on the fourth line of betting at $11 for the Golden Slipper Stakes behind Vancouver at $2.80, Exosphere at $4.60 and Headwater at $10.
The Gai Waterhouse trained Vancouver shot to the top of the market order after scoring a run away win in the Group 2 $300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on March 7.
Lonhro colt Exosphere is the highest rated of the John O’Shea’s two year old team and was also impressive in winning the Group 2 $175,000 Pro-Ride Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Warwick Farm on February 28.
Hall was back in the winner’s stall again last Saturday when he steered the Ciaron Maher trained two year old filly Jameka to a one length victory in the Group 2 $200,000 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Flemington.
