Missing out on the Golden Slipper might turn out to be fortunate for Screen Icon as she gears up for the $1 million Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick.
The filly missed the cut for last month’s premier two-year-old event when trainer John Thompson opted not to race her a week prior solely to secure a position, choosing to leave it to chance instead.
“I didn’t run her again before the Slipper, because if I’d run her again, I wouldn’t have backed up in the Slipper. It would have been too much,” Thompson said.
“So I took a punt to see if she got a run, but the three late entries buggered me, and she was an emergency.
“Hopefully it’s a blessing, and she is right for the Percy Sykes.”
Screen Icon has faced awkward barriers in each of her three outings yet still notched impressive seconds in the Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) last spring and the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) in her latest appearance on February 28.
Thompson has maintained her fitness via a recent gate trial, where despite disliking the sodden surface, she heads back to better ground at Randwick.
“She didn’t like the really heavy track that she trialled on, but back on top of the ground, she’ll be right,” he said.
“She has got her foot on the till and the form around her is good, especially because she has been running well from bad draws.”
Thompson also saddles La Morra in the Australian Oaks (2400m) following her fourth in the Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) last weekend, with Flying Embers entered in the Provincial-Midway Championships Final (1400m).
Second in her qualifier at Wyong, Flying Embers has form over the track and trip, and her trainer believes the bigger circuit will suit her better.
“She’s a big girl, so Wyong didn’t suit, but back to Randwick she will run well,” he said.
“She’s a swimmer, but it doesn’t matter. She goes well on dry too.”
Chad Scofield rides Flying Embers and Screen Icon, while Regan Bayliss takes the steer on La Morra.
Explore the Australian betting sites for the best Percy Sykes Stakes markets this weekend.