The John O’Shea trained Telperion will wear blinkers for the first time when he lines up in the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Telperion will wear the blinkers for the first time in the Golden Slipper at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Telperion is one of three runners that will carry the Godolphin royal blue colours in the Golden Slipper and will be joined by unbeaten colt Astern and smart filly Calliope.
O’Shea decided to put the blinkers on Telperion after the colt finished fourth as the $2.60 favourite behind Good Standing in the Group 2 $175,000 Pro-Ride Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 27.
And the Street Cry colt responded with an impressive Warwick Farm barrier trial win on March 10 with the blinkers on with James McDonald in the saddle.
“He has a set of blinkers on,” assistant trainer Darren Beadman told G1X.
“He trialled in them the other day and trialled very well. He is really ticking over nicely, probably the sleeping giant of all our horses.”
Telperion has had three race starts and debuted with a third in a 1100m two year old Plate at Rosehill on October 31 last year before being put away for a short break.
O’Shea then produced the colt to win first up in the Listed $125,000 Huawei Lonhro Plate (1100m) at Randwick on February 13 before getting beaten in the Skyline Stakes.
Telperion drew the best barrier of the three Godolphin runners at twelve with Calliope drawing fifteen and Astern coming up with the extreme outside gate at seventeen in the original draw but all three runners will move in one spot when the field is to reduced to sixteen on Saturday morning at scratching time with the emergency Moqueen, barrier four, unlikely to gain a start.
James McDonald was aboard Telperion in his two most recent starts but stays with Astern in the Golden Slipper, leaving the way for Godolphin’s England based rider James Doyle to make a return to Rosehill to ride the colt.
Doyle rode Haptic for the stable into twelfth spot in last year’s Golden Slipper and said that he was looking forward to returning to Sydney.
“I enjoy the challenge of adapting to racing in different countries, and Telperion looks to have a great chance,” Doyle said.
“It was a great thrill to ride in the Slipper last year, and I am really looking forward to getting back to Sydney again.”
“It is massively different.The straights are shorter, and races can become very tactical.”
“I know John O’Shea and the team will have him at his best on Saturday.”
Telperion has drifted slightly in the Golden Slipper betting at Ladbrokes.com.au and is now rated a $31 chance after opening at $26 when the final field was released on Tuesday.
Victorian colts Extreme Choice at $3 and Flying Artie at $5 head the market order in front of Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Capitalist and the Gai Waterhouse trained Kiss And Make Up at $9.
Golden Slipper market order: $3 Extreme Choice, $5 Flying Artie, $9 Capitalist, Kiss And Make Up, $11 Astern, $14 Good Standing, $21 Calliope, Defcon, Scarlet Rain, $26 Yankee Rose, $31 Telperion, $41 Star Turn, $51 Honesty Prevails, $101 French Fern, $151 Sweet Sherry, $201 Quick Feet, Moqueen.
