Lady Of Camelot can emulate She Will Reign and add the Group 1 Moir Stakes to her Golden Slipper crown

Hall Of Famer Gai Waterhouse believes Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot can become third filly in seven years to claim the Group 1 Moir Stakes at The Valley.

Gai Waterhouse is confident Lady Of Camelot won’t be the latest victim of the so-called “Golden Slipper curse” when she resumes in the Group 1 $750,000 Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley on Saturday.

Lady Of Camelot won the Golden Slipper narrowly from Coleman earlier this year and the pair clash again for their three-year-old debuts in the Moir against some outstanding older sprinters including The Everest favourite I Wish I Win.

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TAB fixed odds price assessors have installed Lady Of Camelot as the $3.10 favourite to make a winning return to race after the brilliant filly shaped promising in two recent Sydney barrier trials, the latest when she defeated Giga Kick at Randwick.

“We feel Lady Of Camelot has done everything right, she travelled down to Melbourne well, settled in quickly and seems a very happy filly,” said Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott.

“This is a good, solid, hard race to win but she will give it a real shake.”

🪄 Lady of Camelot spins a magical win in the G1 TAB Golden Slipper for@GaiWaterhouse1 /Bott and @blake_shinn!@aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/bRVsmAwuF9

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 23, 2024

Waterhouse has trained 160 Group 1 winners during her celebrated career but is chasing her first win in The Valley’s 1000m weight-for-age sprint.

Lady Of Camelot, who is on trial for a start in The Everest next month, is attempting to become the third three-year-old filly to win the Moir Stakes in seven years after Coolangatta (2022) and She Will Reign (2017), who also won the Golden Slipper earlier that year.

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But it’s a damning statistic that 17 of the last 30 winners of the Golden Slipper didn’t win another race as an older horse – Merlene (1996), Prowl (1998), Catbird (1999), Calaway Gal (2002), Polar Success (2003), Stratum (2005), Sebring (2008), Crystal Lily (2010), Overreach (2013), Mossfun (2014), Vancouver (2015), Capitalist (2016), Estijaab (2018), Kiamichi (2019), Farnan (2020), Stay Inside (2021) and Shinzo (2023).

Merlene and Sebring didn’t race after their two-year-old seasons due to injury, while the likes of Stratum, Crystal Lily and Shinzo were placed at Group 1 level as older horses but couldn’t win again.

Overreach was beset by injury and had only one more start after her Slipper-winning season, Polar Success, Mossfun, Estijaab and Kiamichi never regained their juvenile form.

Vancouver, Capitalist, Farnan and Stay Inside were whisked off to stud after early season three-year-old defeats.

But during the same period, nine Golden Slipper winners trained on to win at Group 1 level as older horses - Flying Spur (1995), Belle Du Jour (2000), Ha Ha (2001), Dance Hero (2004), Miss Finland (2006), Forensics (2007), Sepoy (2011), Pierro (2012) and She Will Reign (2017).

Originally published as Lady Of Camelot can emulate She Will Reign and add the Group 1 Moir Stakes to her Golden Slipper crown