Golden Slipper favourite Cellsabeel could skip Inglis Millennium after Warwick Farm washout
Odds-on favourite Cellsabeel is no certainty to contest the rescheduled $2 million Inglis Millennium at Warwick Farm due to the impact this may have on her Golden Slipper preparation.
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Cellsabeel is no certainty to contest the $2 million Inglis Millennium at Warwick Farm on Wednesday due to the impact this may have on her Golden Slipper preparation.
Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have some tough decisions to make with boom filly Cellsabeel’s race program after the Warwick Farm washout on Saturday.
Warwick Farm was soaked with more than 120mm of rain during the week and with heavy showers forecast throughout Saturday, Racing NSW stewards called off the race meeting early in the morning after finding sections of the track was unsafe for racing.
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Australian Turf Club officials announced the $2 million Inglis Millennium and $1 million Inglis 3yo Sprint will be added to the Warwick Farm meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
Cellsabeel is the hot favourite at $1.45 to win the Inglis Millennium, which the Maher-Eustace stable was using as a lead-up to the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill on February 22.
But if Cellsabeel races on Wednesday, this leaves only a 10-day gap into the Silver Slipper.
The concern for Cellsabeel’s connections is that Inglis Millennium prizemoney does not count towards qualification for the $3.5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill on March 21 where the boom filly is early favourite at $6 with TAB Fixed Odds.
Cellasbeel has earned $124,500 from her two race starts so far and generally a minimum of $150,000 is needed to get into the elite Golden Slipper field.
Annabel Neasham, who is in charge of the Maher-Eustace Sydney satellite stable, conceded the rescheduling of the Inglis Millennium is not ideal as Cellsabeel will still need another race to secure a Golden Slipper start.
“We were quite keen to go to the Silver Slipper,’’ Neasham said.
“If we decided that is the race to go for to get into the Golden Slipper then we will have to consider (whether to start) Wednesday.
“It will be difficult to run in both the Inglis Millennium and the Silver Slipper now. It is only fours days later but it makes a big difference to her preparation.’’
Neasham said Cellsabeel did some trotting and cantering exercise at Warwick Farm trackwork early yesterday morning but then went back out to do more work after the race meetings was called off by stewards.
“She might have got confused because she went out to do some more work on the Polytrack,’’ Neasham said. “We didn’t let her off the bridle over half a mile.’’
Racing NSW stewards conducted a track inspection after two horses had galloped on the course proper at 5.30am Saturday and determined the nine-race program could not proceed as scheduled.
Chief steward Marc Van Gestel said there were sections of the very heavy Warwick Farm track surface that were of particular concern.
“The jockeys who rode in that course proper gallop had their concerns and there are areas near the 1200m and 1400m that are not quite right,’’ Van Gestel said. “Unfortunately we are not in a position to proceed with the race meeting as the forecast for later today is not great.’’
Racing NSW has added the Listed Lonhro Plate (1000m) for the two-year-olds to next Saturday’s Randwick meeting, increasing the prizemoney to $150,000 (up $10,000) and replacing the Pierro Plate (1100m).
The Kensington midweek meeting set for February 19 will now include a two-year-old maiden over 1100m.
The Newcastle and Gilgrandra races went ahead as scheduled on Saturday but meetings at Braidwood and Walcha were abandoned due to the wet weather.
Racing NSW stewards remain hopeful the Goulburn and Port Macquarie races today can proceed although both meetings will be run on heavy track surfaces.