Gai Waterhouse’s exciting colt Vancouver starts off Golden Slipper week as the clear cut favourite and top ratings experts around the country can’t see any other runner challenging him for the top position.
Vancouver starts Golden Slipper week as the clear cut favourite for the $3.5m for the two year olds. Photo by Steve Hart.
Renowned ratings expert Vince Accardi rated Vancouver’s win in the Group 2 $300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on March 7 as the best Golden Slipper trial he has ever seen.
“This is the best Slipper lead-up I’ve ever seen,” Accradi told The Daily Telegraph.
“He’s done something you just don’t see from two-year-olds.”
“Without going deep into the numbers world, he’s basically run figures that would see him finish three lengths off Terravista’s career-best performance.”
Vancouver recorded the fastest time in history for the Randwick 1200m by a two year old in the Todman Stakes and bookmakers had no choice but to place the Medaglia D’Oro colt at the top of the market order for the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
The undefeated colt is currently at $2.80 with Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of the John O’Shea trained Exosphere at $4.60, one time favourite Headwater at $10 and Melbourne colt Ready For Victory at $11.
Accardi can see some improvement in Exosphere as well as stablemate Furnaces who ran second to Vancouver in the Todman Stakes, but said there was too big a gap between them and Waterhouse colt to make up.
“But Exosphere also looks an improver and we’d probably suggest he’s slightly in front of Furnaces but there’s not much between them,” Accardi said.
Vancouver kept his unbeaten record intact with his Todman Stakes win following victories in the Listed $100,000 NSW Thoroughbred Breeders’ Plate (1000m) at Randwick on October 4 last year and the Group 3 $150,000 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on January 31.
Waterhouse is chasing her sixth Golden Slipper trophy which would equal her legendary father Tommy Smith’s record after wins with Ha Ha (2001), Dance Hero (2004), Sebring (2008), Pierro (2012) and Overreach (2013).
The First Lady Of Racing could have up to four runners in this year’s Golden Slipper and as well as Vancouver could saddle up Encosta De Lago filly English, Stratum filly Flamboyant Lass and last Saturday’s Magic Night Stakes winner Speak Fondly.
