Golden Slipper tops all-stakes card at Rosehill Gardens

Farnan, the winner of two Group 2 stakes in the last month, can give trainer Gai Waterhouse a record seventh win in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill Gardens outside of Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.

If Farnan is successful, Waterhouse would surpass her father, Tommy Smith, as the winningest trainer in race history.

About the only thing keeping Farnan from being favored in the $2,012,500 Golden Slipper as of the middle of the week was a draw in post 14 in a field of 16. The race is restricted to Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds.

Farnan has won 4 of 5 starts. Officially, he has co-trainers in Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, a structure allowed in Australian racing. Farnan won the Group 2 Todman Stakes at six furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse on March 7, finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of Tagaloa, who was the 3-1 favorite for the Golden Slipper on Wednesday.

Tagaloa won the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at six furlongs at Caulfield Racecourse on Feb. 22, finishing a head in front of Hanseatic, another well-regarded contender in the Golden Slipper.

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The Golden Slipper is the seventh race on a nine-race all-stakes program at Rosehill Gardens. Post time for the Golden Slipper is 1:30 a.m. Eastern, or 10:30 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Wagering on the program is available through DRFBets.com.

The Golden Slipper is one of five Group 1 races on the program, two of which will have heavy favorites.

In the $402,500 Ranvet Stakes at 1 1/4 miles, the British shipper Addeybb will be a strong favorite in his first start since a second in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot last October. Avilius, who won the 2019 Ranvet, is the second choice in a field of seven.

Te Akua Shark could be even money to win the $575,000 George Ryder Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs, following the popular 5-year-old gelding’s win in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick on Feb. 29.

Super Seth, the winner of the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas last October, is a leading threat to the favorite in a field of nine.

The $345,000 Rosehill Guineas for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles should be more competitive. In a field of 13, Shadow Hero will be favored at about 5-2 to win his third Group 1 race in the last six months.

Shadow Hero won the Group 1 Randwick Guineas at a mile on March 7, beating a field that included Castelvecchio, who starts in the Rosehill Guineas. Castelvecchio was second in the Group 1 Cox Plate, Australia’s leading weight-for-age race last October, but has struggled in two starts this year.

The final Group 1 race on the program is the $402,500 Galaxy Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs.

The 4-year-old filly Fasika is a top contender along with the 5-year-old mare Savatiano and the 5-year-old horse Pierata, who has not started since a stakes win at Rosehill Gardens in November.