Godolphin Trio Set for Golden Slipper

Vin Cox believes March 17 feature race day at Rosehill goes 'very close' to being the most significant on the calendar for Darley Australia, as a trio of juveniles in the royal blue vie for glory in the Golden Slipper (G1), while elite stallion prospect Anamoe bids for a ninth group 1 victory in the George Ryder Stakes (G1). 

Exceed And Excel  colts Cylinder—the AU$3.80 favorite for the AU$5 million feature—and Barber will join Brazen Beau  filly Exploring in representing Godolphin tomorrow, as they bid to land a fourth success in Australia's breed-shaping race for the global operation. 

"From a whole-of-the-business point of view, it has to go very close to being the biggest day on the calendar," Godolphin Australia's managing director Cox told ANZ Bloodstock News. 

"Particularly with the horses that we're running. The Golden Slipper has traditionally always been a breed-making race. Anamoe is running as part of the undercard and he's the most significant stallion prospect that I think we've ever had, certainly on this side of the world. "

Cox took to the helm at the start of 2018, and since then, alongside head trainer James Cummings who was appointed in the autumn of 2017, has overseen unprecedented on-track success for the Australian arm of Sheikh Mohammed's racing and breeding empire. 

In particular, Godolphin has enjoyed notable 2-year-old success in recent years. Godolphin landed the trifecta in the 2019 Golden Slipper as Kiamichi earned a shock success on a heavy Rosehill track, defeating Microphone and Lyre, as well as two victories in the Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) at Caulfield; in 2019 with Lyre and Daumier in 2022. 

This season, Godolphin and Cummings claimed the key Golden Slipper lead-up races of the Todman Stakes (G2) and the Silver Slipper Stakes (G2) with Cylinder; while in Melbourne, Barber won the Blue Diamond Prelude (G3) and Zulfiqar took the Chairmans Stakes (G3). Amur, Corniche, and Blue Diamond Prelude (G2) winner Exploring have also tasted juvenile stakes victories this season. 

Amur and Corniche also qualified for a Golden Slipper berth this season, however, Cummings has elected to bypass the race with Amur, and Corniche picked up an injury after his Skyline Stakes (G2) win. 

Those successes are among 209 black-type wins overall for Godolphin from horses trained domestically since the start of the 2018-19 season, a figure which compares to 124 stakes victories the previous four seasons. 

Prior to Kiamichi's 2019 success, Godolphin's last Slipper win came courtesy of brilliant colt Sepoy  in 2011 and Cox was keen to highlight the work of the whole team at Godolphin as the secret to their recent triumphs. 

"It validates the systems that we have in place. Right from our matings decisions, through to getting the mares in foal. We don't always go to our own stallions; we send a few mares out as well. Corniche, who was also qualified for the Slipper, is an example of that," Cox said. 

"Then it goes right through to foaling down the horses, raising them and educating them, and on to their early training at Crown Lodge and then into racing. 

"It's a fully integrated system that works well. We've got great staff who are very dedicated to their jobs. And if any one of those cogs along the journey is out of whack, then the whole thing falls apart.

"We're in rare air and we've been enjoying significant success over the last few years. But we're also very conscious of the fact that our turn might come where it goes the other way. We hope it will continue, but we acknowledge that realistically it may not."

Cylinder is the talk of the market ahead of the Golden Slipper, the colt having won twice in four starts, including defeats of Red Resistance and Platinum Jubilee in the Todman Stakes and Silver Slipper Stakes respectively. 

The son of Exceed And Excel will be ridden by James McDonald, who earned a reprieve from stewards and has had his careless riding ban reduced, allowing him to take part on Golden Slipper day. The pair will jump from barrier 3. 

"I think he's firing. He's ready to go," said Cummings. "Tulloch Lodge has been firing this season, so we had to find a horse to take them on in the Silver Slipper with their good filly (Platinum Jubilee), and then their good colt in the Todman.

"We beat both, so Cylinder goes into the Golden Slipper with the absolute A1 form line."