Extreme Choice and Flying Artie have trouble free Golden Slipper preparation

Trainer Mick Price’s Blue Diamond Stakes winning quinella Extreme Choice and Flying Artie have had a trouble free preparation heading towards the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Flying Artie, above, has finally drawn a good barrier in the Golden Slipper at Rosehill. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Flying Artie, above, has finally drawn a good barrier in the Golden Slipper at Rosehill. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Price can find no negatives with his two colts after Extreme Choice beat the unlucky Flying Artie by one and three quarter lengths in the Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 27.

Price has reported that the two had travelled well to Sydney and settled into their new surrounding without a problem and a good result at the Golden Slipper barrier draw on Tuesday gave the Caulfield trainer plenty of confidence heading into the world’s richest two year old race on Saturday.

“If you look through and through and through the ratings that my horses have and I know in their training and their trackwork, they are pretty spot on so you are entitled to be a bit confident,” Price told G1X.

“I couldn’t get then going any better. They have thrived, they are natural two year olds. I have had no trouble with knees, shins, immune system, their brains are good. Both horses are really good, blood pictures before and after travel have been good.”

“I have got no negatives.”

Extreme Choice will be ridden by Blue Diamond Stakes winning jockey Craig Newitt and drew barrier seven and Damien Oliver will stick with Flying Artie who came up with barrier five.

Even though the Gai Waterhouse trained Vancouver won the Golden Slipper from the outside gate last year, Price was tickled pink to have drawn good barriers for is two runners after drawing out wide in the Blue Diamond Stakes.

Extreme Choice was able to overcome barrier eleven in the Blue Diamond Stakes with his early tactical speed, but Flying Artie was pushed back towards the tail of the field from barrier thirteen and was forced extremely wide on the home turn before working home strongly down the middle of the straight.

“It is fantastic. You need your luck in the slipper, don’t you,” Price said.

“Vancouver won from a deep gate last year but he was an outstanding colt, drew sixteen, three deep with cover up handy.”

“I think those that are posted and working on that first corner, it is a pretty diabolical spot to be.”

“I think my horses just need a bit of luck, a bit of joy, especially Flying Artie. He has drawn really bad gates a couple of times.”

“They are both really good colts going well, so looking forward to it from good gates and good riders.”

Price can see his two colts as the best performed youngsters in the race and said that the colts and geldings are definitely better that the fillies.

“There hasn’t been any dominant horse and I can’t see the fillies, a filly has to improve three or four lengths to win and I don’t know if that is going to happen at this stage going in.”

Price is very confident that his two runners will perform at their highest levels in the Golden Slipper but has a slight leaning towards Extreme Choice over Flying Artie.

“If it was a two horse race, I think under pressure, I just feel that Extreme Choice might find that little bit more,” Price said.

“I don’t think there is as much between them as the market suggests. They are both really good colts.”

Extreme Choice heads the Golden Slipper market order at Ladbrokes.com.au at $3 ahead of his stablemate Flying Artie at $5 with Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Capitalist and the Gai Waterhouse trained Kiss And Make Up on the third line of betting at $9.

Golden Slipper market order: $3 Extreme Choice, $5 Flying Artie, $9 Capitalist, Kiss And Make Up, $11 Astern, $13 Good Standing, $19 Calliope, $21 Defcon, Scarlet Rain, $26 Yankee Rose, $31 Telperion,  $41 Star Turn, $51 Honesty Prevails, $101 French Fern, $151 Sweet Sherry, $201 Quick Feet, Moqueen,

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.