The 2021 Golden Slipper features 10 colts and the majority are raced by syndicates that include some of our major studs as well as two homebred colts for Godolphin, so we’re looking at a race that has high stakes involved for the breeding industry.
Coolmore’s Tom Magnier led the way at the COVID crippled Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale last year which was forced into being a historic online sale in the wake of our first nationwide lockdown as a result of pandemic.
Just think back to 12 months ago and the level of uncertainty that prevailed and it took a massive leap of faith to invest heavily at that time, but Tom Magnier backed his judgement, supported the Australian industry and has been rewarded.
Coolmore was the leading vendor at the sale selling 23 yearlings for $7,830,000 and Tom Magnier was the leading buyer securing eight yearlings for $6,895,000.
$875,000 Inglis Easter purchase Home Affairs wins the G2 Silver Slipper - image Steve Hart
One of the colts he bought at Inglis Easter is Home Affairs (I Am Invincible, $875,000) and another bought at that sale by James Bester, which also features Coolmore in the ownership is O’President (Fastnet Rock, $520,000).
Both colts are trained by Chris Waller and go into the race in top form with good barriers and champion jockeys James McDonald and Glen Boss to ride.
Darley are no strangers to success in the Golden Slipper having won the race with homebreds Sepoy (2011) and Kiamichi (2019) and this year they have their hopes pinned on quality colts Ingratiating and Anamoe.
Ingratiating is from the first crop of their high profile US shuttler Frosted (USA) and his dam Obsequious, a Group II winner by Lonhro, is a relic of the former Woodlands Stud empire, who was sold by Godolphin in an Inglis Online auction in 2020 for $27,500.
Anamoe is also by one of their Victorian based shuttle sires in Street Boss (USA) and is from Group I winning Redoute’s Choice mare Anamato, who started her stud career in the Northern Hemisphere for Darley delivering stakes-winner Anamba from a mating to Shamardal before returning to Australia in 2014.
Newgate Farm have a stake in the ownership of four colts – Profiteer (Capitalist), Stay Inside (Extreme Choice), Artorius (Flying Artie) and Captivant (Captivant) – and will also have a keen interest in the James Harron Bloodstock owned runner Kalashnikov, who is the third runner in the race for Newgate’s young Golden Slipper winning sire Capitalist.
They stand the sires of all of these colts at Newgate Farm, so to have that many runners in the Golden Slipper by your own first season sires is a massive achievement in itself.
The three runners by Capitalist all have a double cross of Danehill and Profiteer has three lines as his third dam is by Danehill's Golden Slipper winning son Danzero.
The only colt runner in the race not yet optioned by a major stud is Shaquero (Shalaa (IRE), who won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and comes in as a last start winner of the Group III ATC Pago Pago Stakes.
