Two colts high up in Golden Slipper betting faced off in the $300,000 Group II UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m), and Godolphin’s Silver Slipper hero Cylinder came out on top.
James McDonald was intent on not letting Tim Clark have an uncontested lead on the unbeaten Russian Revolution colt Red Resistance, which proved the winning move.
The Exceed And Excel colt worried Red Resistance out of it, edging the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian bott-trained colt by three-quarters of a length with a further two and three-quarter lengths back to the Dundeel colt Militarize in third.
Winning trainer James Cummings said the son of Exceed And Excel defeated a top-liner in the previously undefeated Red Resistance.
“The second horse is a magnificent animal; he was huge again there,” Cummings said.
“There was nearly three lengths back to the third horse, so those two look like extremely good chances in two weeks.
“It’s a horse race, and we’ve beaten a very good horse only by three-quarters of a length, but you have to love the way he did it.”
“Cylinder will take the A1 form going into the Golden Slipper with the Silver Slipper and Todman under his belt.
“We won this race a couple of years ago with Anamoe, it’s a good horse’s race, and I was very confident with Bivouac one year too, and he just didn’t quite have things go his way.
“This horse is doing everything right. He’s improved from his first-up run, and what more can you ask? Now (jockey manager) Mark Guest has just got to lock in that James McDonald next to his name in two weeks, and James might be able to win a little million bonus on the horse by having won these two lead-ups.
“For Exceed And Excel to have another top chance going into a Golden Slipper, a colt out of a Street Cry mare who was able to win over a mile, he’s got a good little pedigree, and he’s just a fantastic horse to be going into the race for us.”
Cylinder is the best of two winners from three to race for the Street Cry mare Circular.
From the family of Lonhro, Circular won five and placed in eight of her 20 starts, highlighted by her victory in the Group III Matron Stakes at Flemington.
After foaling a Bivouac filly last spring, Circular was covered by Brazen Beau.
