$450K Slipper gamble: Three pay $150,000 to chase two-year-old riches

The ATC will get $450,000 from Golden Slipper late entries, which indicates how many entered the world’s richest two-year-old race, thinking they could win.

There will not be an unbeaten two-year-old in this Golden Slipper, and Magic Night Stakes winner Pembrey will join Music Time and Closer To Free in paying the $150,000 late entry.

It means they have to finish in the top-five next Saturday to get a return on their money.

Queenslander Tony Gollan has always been confident Pembrey might be the right filly for the Golden Slipper and after a poor steer in the Sweet Embrace, James McDonald went straight to the front on Saturday.

“She began a lot cleaner, I was alert to her this time. Began a bit awkwardly last start, I just rode her accordingly,” McDonald said. “She’s a nice filly, she covers the ground well and she stargazed all the way up the straight, I thought if she was a sitting duck today was the day.”

“Beginning cleanly and just letting her roll. Obviously I learned a lot, it was a bad ride last start.”

“I’m so happy I can make amends today and Tony was solid by keeping me on. I’m glad I could repay him and the connections because she’s a beautiful filly.”

McDonald will have choice of Pembrey, Golden Slipper equal favourite Chayan ,which won the Reisling Stakes, and Hidrix for Chris Waller.

Pembrey has been staying with Golden Slipper expert Peter Snowden and Gollan has been taking his advice.

“She’s done well and to us it looks as though there’s enough left in the tank to go again in seven days,” Gollan said. “We’ll let the team make the decision if they want to pay up, we have a look at her all week and see what we’ve got.”

“She’s a nice filly in form, handles wet or dry, can show good speed so ticks all the boxes.”

“I think if she pulls up sound it won’t be a hard decision.”

Gratz Vella originally wasn’t thinking about the Golden Slipper changed his tune with Black Opal winner Music Time, which has never left the ACT.

“I have been speaking to a few blokes over the past few days and they said, the way he is going, he could nearly match strides with any horse that is going to go in the Slipper,” Vella told the media.

Danny O’Brien will pay the $150,000 for Blue Diamond runner-up Closer To Free, who only had his first start at the end of January, winning the form race of the juvenile season, the Blue Diamond Prelude for colts and geldings.

“He is standing up to it very well and just gets better,” O’Brien said after Jamie Melham trialled the son of Street Boss at Rosehill on Tuesday.

“He likes the cut in the ground, got around Rosehill, he was on rails, so it is worth a crack.”