Portelli believes All The Talk for the Golden Slipper

Trainer Gary Portelli is starting to believe the talk about his two year old I’m All The Talk as he heads toward the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill tomorrow.

all the talk

I'm All The Talk winning the Skyline Stakes in fast time. Photo by Steve Hart.

Portelli has been talking up the chances of I’m All The Talk long before he qualified for the Golden Slipper with a win in the Group 3 $125,000  Hyland Race Colours Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Warwick Farm on March 16.

The Stratum colt ran a slick 1.9.76s for the 1200m and Portelli is adamant that the two year olds have to run smart time in the Slipper lead up races to be a genuine chance in the in the richest two year old race in the world.

“He ran 1.9.76 at Warwick Farm when he won, he was beaten a nose in 56.6, he runs times and that’s what wins Slippers,” Portelli said.

“You can win a lead up in 1.12 and it means nothing because they’ll run 1.9 on the day.”

“We’ve gone into the race off a good preparation with a horse that has run fast times when he’s won.”

Portelli was forced to change the colt’s name from All The Talk to I’m All The Talk after his win in the Skyline because it sounded too much like the Mount Isa trained All The Torque.

The Warwick Farm trainer said that a win in the Golden Slipper plus his great constitution would set the base for a successful future as a stallion.

“I reckon, and I might be biased, he’s the sort of horse if you won a Golden Slipper you would want to breed from,” Portelli said.

“He’s an outstanding type of horse and has a fantastic constitution.”

“He’s physically perfect, if he could throw horses as good as he looks he’d make a great stallion.”

Jockey Brenton Avdulla will have to go forward from a wide gate but is adamant he doesn’t have to lead to win and would be happy to cross and take up a handy position.

“He’s only been in races where he’s led and had too much speed for them,” Avdulla said.

“Ideally you’d like to lob in the one-one but I suppose everyone else will want to.”

“Obviously everyone thinks Overreach is a sit and steer job but it is a pressure two year old race and if she misses the kick the race changes complexion.”

The Gai Waterhouse trained Overreach looks the real deal and won by a combined winning margin of ten lengths at her two Golden Slipper lead up runs when she gave nothing else a chance.

Tommy Berry had Overreach quickly out of the barriers in the Listed $100,000 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on February 16 and went on to win by five and three quarter lengths and then repeated the effort winning by four and a quarter lengths beating Villa Verde in the Group 2 $300,000 Moet & Chandon Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 23.

Overreach is all the rage in the Golden Slipper market and will go to the post a very short priced favourite and is currently $2.50 with I’m All The Talk at the juicy odds of $21.

The Peter Snowden trained Sidestep, with the blinkers on for the first time, is the only other runner under double figures at $9 with Sweet Idea at $10.

Trainer Shaun Dwyer is expecting Villa Verde to strip a much fitter filly following her first-up second to Overreach but the filly has to overcome the horror draw of one from the outside and has been posted a $12 chance.

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.