Adelaide colt Free Of Debt can repay his new owners Aquis Farm with a win or minor placing in the 2019 Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Free Of Debt, above, will carry the Aquis Farm aqua and black colours in the 2019 Golden Slipper at Rosehill. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Aquis Farm bought into Free Of Debt after wins at Morphettville and Flemington and the Chris Bieg trained colt raced in their Aqua and Black colours when third behind Lyre and Lankan Star in the Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 23.
Aquis Farm then paid the $150,000 late entry fee for Free Of Debt for the Golden Slipper, giving the colt’s long list of owners a chance to have a runner in the richest two year old race in the world.
“We’re having a free shot at the Slipper really. I know we’ve got to pay that late nomination fee but that’s part of the agreement with Aquis that they’ve paid it,” Bieg told Racenet.
“So for the mums and dads owners back in Adelaide I guess it’s a free shot at the best Group One for two-year-olds around.
“He’s going really well and just to be there is going to be a massive thrill.
“It’s not very often Adelaide horses make the trip up to the Slipper.
“So it’s a big feat just to get him there and have him up in Sydney in such great order.”
Melbourne based jockey Dwayne Dunn takes over the reins from Blue Diamond Stakes jockey Michael Walker and Bieg is happy to have drawn barrier ten for Free Of Debt.
“I think from there we are not dictated to what we actually have to do. Where he is, is perfect really,” Bieg said.
“One out and one back in the run would be my best outcome I think.”
Free Of Debt has been marked at the lucrative odds of $34 at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Golden Slipper but Bieg believes that his colt will be very competitive against the more highly fancied runners.
“He’s done nothing wrong. We’re a small stable in the big world, I guess that’s the reflection of the market. That stable support is not quite there.
“But he doesn’t know he is $34 and he will be giving them a scare on Saturday.”
There is a lot of congestion at the top of the Golden Slipper market order with the Peter and Paul trained Cosmic Force holding a slight advantage as the $5 favourite ahead of the James Cummings trained pair of Tenley at $5.50 and Microphone at $6 while Chris Waller’s colt Yes Yes Yes is also well in contention at $7.50.
