By a Golden Slipper runner-up, Sidestep, out of a mare by a Golden Slipper winner, Canny Lad, who is out of a daughter of Golden Slipper winner Vain, who is out of a mare by Golden Slipper winner Marscay, from the family of Golden Slipper winners Dark Eclipse & Storm Queen, Godolphin's outsider Kiamichi led home a sea of blue in Saturday's $3,500,000 Longines Golden Slipper at Rosehill.
A last start winner of the Group III Magic Night Stakes over the Golden Slipper course and distance, Kiamichi made light work of her outside barrier, as Damian Lane eased her across the face of the field to take up the running.
She showed no sign of stopping in the straight, holding Microphone (Exceed And Excel) by a length with the Blue Diamond Stakes heroine Lyre (Lonhro) a length back in third to make it a one, two three finish for Godolphin, which has had a season to savour with their two-year-olds.
And it was Kiamichi who began the landslide when she won on debut at Rosehill on November on November 10.
"That's some sort of race. Great credit to this horse," said winning trainer James Cummings.
"She's just been able to come on the scene in such a way that suggested that she was just going too well to deny her a chance to be running in this race."
"She's our first two-year-old winner, we trained her for strength. I wanted to toughen these horses up all season and she was tough this week. She had an absolute ripper of a week.
She's by a stallion (Sidestep) who was able to run three weeks in a row and still run second in this race just like our colt Microphone just did, beaten less than a length.
"Microphone's got a great future but one thing I knew coming into this Golden Slipper this year, a little like two years ago, you can throw out the window what horse you think is the most brilliant horse; you can throw out the window the horse you think has had the picture perfect preparation, because at the end of it it's going to come down to the horse that's got the guts to handle the track on the occasion and the heart to get over the line first.
"One thing I'll say the guys have done an amazing job all season to be meticulous with these two-year-olds. I'm pretty proud to be associated with the blue jacket at the moment.
"Our first two-year-old winner of the season had the heart to get up and win on debut and she's just kept improving, trained for 1200m all the way through and toughened
Damian Lane said he had an armchair ride.
"I just sent her away. What a tough filly," Lane said.
"So well prepared by James Cummings and her team. I got on her last week and sat and steered her around and did the same thing last week. She's just so honest and so tough."
The Godolphin homebred is the fifth winner from six to race out of the unraced Canny Lad mare Ouachita who is a sister to Group 1 VRC Sires' Produce Stakes winner, Preserve and the Listed winner Rio Osa and a half-sister to Group 1 winner Denman.
After missing to Epaulette in 2016, Ouachita foaled an Animal Kingdom (USA) filly on August 21 but was not covered last spring.
A half-brother to Group 1 winner Skilled and Group II winner and Group 1 placed Ambidexter, Sidestep won the Group II ATC Pago Pago Stakes and Group II Royal Sovereign Stakes and was runner-up in the Golden Slipper.
After beginning his stud career at Darley, Sidestep now stands at Telemon Thoroughbred in Queensland where his 2018 fee has been set at $7,700.
.@godolphin have gone 1,2,3 as Kiamichi wins the Golden Slipper, Microphone second and Lyre third - WOW 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/6tcs5PO0dR
— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 23, 2019
