The $5million Group I ATC Golden Slipper (1200m) was seen as a lottery this year with no clear standouts going into the race and luck in running seen as essential with that scenario played out in full with Snitzel filly Marhoona winning by a head over highly rated Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Wodeton with the favourite Tempted a close third beaten three-quarters of a length.
Marhoona wins the Golden Slipper in a tight finish - image Bradley Photography
Trained by Michael Freedman and ridden by Damian Lane, Marhoona drew gate six and enjoyed a soft run in transit close to the fence and worked to the front with 100m to run to win her first stakes race at her third race start.
She made a winning debut at Canterbury on February 7 before chasing home Tempted for second in the Group II ATC Reisling Stakes, but was able to turn the tables on that rival and hold off the first colt home in Wodeton.
It was a first Slipper win for Michael Freedman, although he was the co-trainer of the 2021 winner Stay Inside with his brother Richard.
"Huge thrill. You know, we've been through the ups and downs with the family over a lot of years with these sort of good results, bad results. But, yeah, it's a huge thrill for my team. I mean, I've got a lot of young, up-and-coming stars in the industry, I think, and they've had such a big part to play in this, probably a lot more than me,” said Michael Freedman.
"For Sophie(Johnson) and Ben Duckworth, who's sort of been in the team for about a year now, I'm as happy for them as I am anything else because they just put so much work in."
Marhoona wins the Golden Slipper at her third start - image Bradley Photography
Freedman did wonder going into the race if Marhoona was seasoned enough to win, but in an even year, she got the good run and had the ability to capitalise on it.
"If I'm being honest, I said to a few people, earlier today, I thought maybe it would have been nice to have had one more run under our belt, but she's a special filly.
“When she won at Canterbury at first start, she ripped half a foot off winning that race, and I thought you're tough. And she bounced back from it, went to the Reisling a month later, and it's a bit of an unusual preparation, I guess, going into a Slipper at your third start. But, yeah, she's a special filly."
With two wins and a second from three starts, Marhoona has won $3million in prizemoney, showing just how lucrative a juvenile campaign can be and Freedman does have a happy knack for producing a good two year-old and won the Group I ATC Sires Produce Stakes last year for Emirates Park with another homebred filly in Manaal.
"I just try and stay out of their way a little bit, I think. I think my personal view is good two-year-olds almost train themselves a little bit,” he said.
Marhoona returns a G1 winner - image Bradley Photography
Damian Lane was having his first race ride on Marhoona and was able to execute his race plan perfectly.
“She's obviously been prepped perfectly for this, just peaking on the day. Not often you come up with a plan and execute it perfectly, well in Group 1s anyway,” he said.
"It really played out how we thought it might and she was great. She just was there to be beaten at the 100m and Wodeton got to us, she really stuck at it, so very brave."
Marhoona is the third Golden Slipper winner for Emirates Park joining Mossfun (Mossman), who won in 2014 and Estijaab (Snitzel), who won in 2018, but both of those fillies were purchased at Inglis Easter , Mossfun for $85,000 and Estijaab for $1.7million.
Marhoona is a homebred for Emirates Park as was her mother Salma and grand-mother Salameh, while third dam Show Dancing delivered Emirates with their much loved Group I VRC Australian Guineas winner Al Maher, who went on to a long and successful stud career, so this is a family that means a great deal to everyone at Emirates.
Marhoona is a half-sister to Group II winner Hilal, now at stud in New Zealand, and stakes-winners Salateen and Trojan Harbour being the fourth winner from five foals to race from unraced Encosta de Lago mare Salma, who has not had a foal since Marhoona.
The female family traces back to the legendary blue hen Dancing Show (USA), who is the fourth dam of Marhoona and also the fifth dam of Group I MVRC William Reid Stakes winner Schwarz.
Marhoona is the 23rd Group I winner for Snitzel and is his third Golden Slipper winner following Estijaab and Shinzo.
