The Magic Night Stakes and Pago Pago Stakes represent the final opportunity for numerous juveniles seeking the remaining positions in the Golden Slipper, with leading contender Warwoven among them.
The colt sits in 18th position on the qualification list, yet with a pair of horses likely to be withdrawn as late acceptors and victors of Saturday’s pair of key trials securing direct entry, Warwoven’s handler Bjorn Baker is determined not to chance being excluded.
This promising youngster placed a narrow fourth in the Skyline Stakes (1200m) following a contentious withdrawal from the Magic Millions Classic on the Gold Coast back in January, as Racing Queensland vets ruled him lame.
Baker, who also trains joint Golden Slipper favourite and recent Todman Stakes winner Paradoxium from last weekend, believes Warwoven will be significantly sharper following his previous outing.
“He is going to come on, no doubt about it,” Baker said.
“He’s probably even got a touch more improvement from where Paradoxium is at the moment.”
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are set to field four participants split between the two events, with By Choice and Lumbini carrying Tulloch Lodge colours in the Magic Night Stakes (1200m) aimed at fillies, while Plagiarism and Drumfire take their place in the Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) for colts.
By Choice has shown consistency across her four outings, notably third in the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m), and Bott feels she requires the ideal tempo to claim another success.
“She is going to appreciate high-pressure races, and appreciate a bit further in time,” Bott said.
“But she has been so honest throughout her career. She’s tough, she puts herself up on pace and she has drawn to do so again.”
Bott anticipates improvement from Lumbini after he was hampered when failing to place in that same event last time out, though he concedes an outstanding victory from either would be necessary to contemplate a Golden Slipper follow-up.
Plagiarism faces a comparable situation, having competed prominently in each of his three runs, including fifth place, under a length behind victor Campione D’Italia in the Skyline Stakes (1200m).
“I’d like to think we’re seeing nice, gradual improvement from him at each stage of the prep and he’s another one, he’s on a path to give himself a potential opportunity to have a look at a Slipper,” Bott said.
“All those three would be outside the field at present and would need to be winning their way in, and we’d be wanting to see the right performance from them as well to be starting.”
Drumfire enters the two-year-old ranks late with a debut victory at Muswellbrook last Sunday, and even with the short turnaround, Bott is eager to test his credentials.
“It’s different form lines, and he is a really natural two-year-old type,” he said.
“He did it pretty easily at Muswellbrook and he’s open to nice improvement. He has pulled up really well and that gave us a chance to have a look at Saturday.”
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