Storm Boy and Manaal impressive in Slipper lead ups
Storm Boy (Justify) is set to start the shortest-priced Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) favourite in 20 years after blowing away another class field – and new rider James McDonald – in yesterday’s Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick.
With McDonald taking over from Adam Hyeronimus after Coolmore’s purchase of the future stallion for potentially upwards of $50 million, Storm Boy made it four out of four by leading throughout in his last race before the Slipper at Rosehill on March 23.
In his first run since demoralising the opposition in the rich Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) on January 13, Storm Boy jumped only moderately from gate one, but soon mustered speed to reach the front. The colt was bolting at the 800 metres, forcing McDonald to take a strong hold, but let go at the 300-metre mark the Waterhouse-Bott trained Storm Boy strode clear.
Starting at $1.18, he was a length-and-a-half clear of stablemate Prost (Snitzel) on the line, with the Chris Waller-trained Duvana (Dundeel) a further length back in third.
Bookmakers responded accordingly, tightening the pick of Tulloch Lodge’s 13 individual two-year-old winners of the season from $2.80 to $2.30 for the $5m Slipper.
At that quote, he’d be the shortest runner to contest the world’s richest two-year-old race since Alinghi (Encosta De Lago) ran third in 2004 at $1.70, behind Dance Hero (Danzero).
Such is Storm Boy’s pre-eminence among the nation’s juveniles, it’s been nine years since the Slipper had a favourite at less than than $3, with Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro) winning at $2.50 in 2015. That marked the end of a patch of short Slipper favourites also including Earthquake (Exceed And Excel), who was second in 2014, and $2.80 winners Overreach (Exceed And Excel) and Sepoy (Elusive Quality) in 2013 and 2011 respectively.
Storm Boy’s sale value would rise beyond $50 million if he can emulate his sire Justify (Scat Daddy) in becoming a Triple Crown winner – this time not the US three-year-old version but Sydney’s juvenile Group 1 treble of the Slipper, and the ATC Sires’ Produce (Gr 1, 1400m) and Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m).
And given his demoralising form so far, with today his second Group success following the third-tier BJ McLachlan Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Eagle Farm, few would dare say Storm Boy couldn’t end the autumn with a perfect seven from seven.
One astute judge who wouldn’t is McDonald, who rode him for the first time in a race today after steering in a barrier-trial win at Rosehill on February 15.
“Storm Boy was a bit fresh at the start but he got into stride quickly,” McDonald said.
“He’s got the constitution of a big, strong boy; he’s got the lungs on him. It felt like I was going fast up the rise and then he goes faster.
“It is an incredible feeling. You feel like he is going flat chat and then he goes even faster. The bigger pressure race, the better he will go.”
Despite the latest switch, McDonald still isn’t nailed on for the ride. Coolmore could bring their main contracted jockey Ryan Moore out from the UK for the Slipper, but the allocation of mounts has yet to be made.
Coolmore had Moore aboard their Chris Waller-trained colt Shinzo (Snitzel) to win the race last year, but this time the global breeding empire also has Waller’s $1.5 million yearling colt Switzerland (Snitzel), the current $8 equal-second favourite for the Slipper alongside Storm Boy’s stablemate Straight Charge (Written By).
McDonald surprised no one when he said he’d love to ride Storm Boy in the Slipper.
“Storm Boy is as good as you get. He’s strong, he knows he’s really good and the more you ask him the more he keeps giving,” he said.
“You could see him down the middle of the track, he fishtailed a little bit through greenness but there is so much more to come and that is the scary thing about him.
“Fitness-wise he’s going to improve so I felt like he levelled out over the last 50 metres. The most impressive thing is I think he’s got more to come and more to give.”
Amid their season of rampant two-year-old domination, Waterhouse-Bott also have as their Slipper hopes pinned on Espionage (Zoustar) at $9, Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) and Shangri La Express (Alabama Express) at $13, Fully Lit (Hellbent) at $15, and Prost at $17.
But like everyone else who’s borne witness to the unfolding spectacle of what appears a particularly special colt, Tulloch Lodge’s trainers have no doubt who’s at the top of their order.
“Storm Boy is back in good shape and we’ve left some nice improvement to come,” Adrian Bott said.
“He’s a lovely style of horse, he’s got plenty of gears and a high cruising speed. He looked in full control from the outset, then he can find more levels and keep quickening off that.
“We’ve had to prepare for the Golden Slipper, but we’ve got big targets with the Triple Crown as well. I’d like to think he is only going to be better suited getting over the 1400 metres and 1600 metres. It’s very exciting for everyone involved.”
The first foal of dual city winner Pelican (Fastnet Rock), a daughter of champion seven-time G1 winning New Zealand mare Seachange (Cape Cross), Storm Boy was bred by Coolmore’s Tom and Kate Magnier along with long-term associate Robert McClure, and bought for $460,000 last January by Waterhouse-Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds.
The same partnership purchased Storm Boy’s half-brother, by Justify’s Coolmore barnmate Pierro (Lonhro), for $375,000 on day one of the latest Magic Millions sale in January.
Pelican now has a weanling filly by Coolmore shuttler St Mark’s Basilica (Siyouni) and, attempting to repeat some magic, is again in-foal to Justify, who leads the two-year-old sires’ title by earnings thanks to Storm Boy – his sole winner from three runners – and sits second among second-season sires to Trapeze Artist.
Female Slipper hopefuls went on show two races later in the Sweet Embrace Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), but it’s a measure of the regard for juvenile males this season that the winner Manaal (Tassort) ended the day as a $26 chance for the Rosehill grand final.
Sent out an easy $2.05 favourite for yesterday’s assignment, Manaal settled just worse than midfield from gate six of 12 under Tommy Berry, and came wide on a track freshly downgraded to a soft 5, before powering away at the 200-metre mark and had enough in hand to beat second starter Fly Fly (Trapeze Artist) by just over a length.
Manaal was having her third start after winning the season-opening Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) on September 30, and was last seen running second in Lady Of Camelot’s Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) on February 3.
While the latest filly to win the Slipper – Fireburn (Rebel Dane) – came off the back of winning the Sweet Embrace in 2022, Manaal will now need to also overcome some history, since no winner of the Gimcrack has trained on to win the Slipper.
Still, trainer Michael Freedman, who won the Slipper three years ago with Stay Inside (Extreme Choice), believes the filly will be suited by the style of the Rosehill Group 1.
“The Golden Slipper is a high pressure race, and Manaal is not a jump and run type, she sits back and sprints hard late in her races,” said Freedman.
“The way they run Golden Slippers, it might suit her. I’ve seen plenty of Golden Slipper winners come from off the speed.”
Freedman even said he may give Manaal a chance against Storm Boy in all three legs of the Triple Crown.
“I think this she would eat up 1400 metres,” he said. “We could go to the Sires and Champagne. She’s a good, tough filly.”
Manaal continued the strong start for the Newgate-Emirates Park stallion Tassort, bringing his seventh win from four individual winners amongst 14 starters, and bumping him from fifth to fourth among Australia’s first season sires.
The imposingly built Manaal, who’s provided Tassort’s two stakes wins, is a homebred for Emirates Park, and the second foal of US-Listed winning sprinter Red Lodge (Midshipman). The filly’s year-older half-brother, Fightertown (Snitzel), sold to Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $1.1m at the Gold Coast Magic Millions last year. The colt won once for Chris Waller and was sold to Cordoba Bloodstock for $150,000 via the Inglis Digital October Sale last year.
Emirates now has Manaal’s yearling half-sister by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) and a weanling half-sister by Zoustar (Northern Meteor), while Red Lodge is now in-foal to Justify.