Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond attract Record Nominations

06 Jul 18

The Australian Turf Club (ATC) has received a record amount of nominations for the 2019 Golden Slipper.

Connections of 2,452 horses have paid the entry fee for the world's richest juvenile race, considerably more than the previous record of 2,216 in 2007.

The 2019 Golden Slipper is scheduled for March 23 at Rosehill and once again has a war chest of $3.5 million on offer.

Godolphin has the highest representation with 140 entries while the Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig accounts for 136 two-year-olds.

Six-time Golden Slipper winning trainer Gai Waterhouse, who is nearing the end of her second season of training in partnership with Adrian Bott, has nominated 106 juveniles, 17 of these (16%) are with Dynamic Syndications.

Snitzel heads the list of stallions with 112 of his progeny nominated, seven more than I Am Invincible and 12 more than first season sire Deep Field.

ATC acting chief executive officer James Heddo said "The Longines Golden Slipper is what every owner, trainer and breeder dreams of and wants to win from the moment a horse takes its first steps,''

"These record nominations fully support the ATC's determination to continue to put the Longines Golden Slipper on the pedestal it deserves.

"More than ever, the Longines Golden Slipper continues to shape the Australian racing and breeding industry like no other.''

In Victoria, the Blue Diamond also attracted record nominations as 1,688 horses were nominated for the $1.5million two-year-old event, an increase on the previous record mark of 1,472 yearlings taken at this time last year.

David Hayes has won the Blue Diamond Stakes on six occasions and at this stage Lindsay Park top the nominations with 143 as Hayes and son Ben and co-trainer Tom Dabernig aim at February's Group 1 sprint at Caulfield, the race they last won with Catchy in 2017.

Other leading Blue Diamond Stakes nominators included Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott (106 – 17 with Dynamic Syndications), Godolphin (100), Tony McEvoy (89) and two-time Blue Diamond Stakes-winning trainer Mick Price (79).

I Am Invincible is the highest represented stallion with 82 of his progeny nominated, just ahead of champion sire Snitzel (81).

Dynamic Syndications have nominated 19 yearlings for the Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond with 17 in the care of Gai & Adrian and one each with Mick Price and Gerald Ryan.

Dynamic Syndications also have 10 yearlings nominated for the Magic Millions and 8 yearlings nominated for the Inglis Race Series.

Dynamic Syndications Managing Director Dean Watt has won the Golden Slipper with Polar Success, and won the Magic Millions with Bradbury’s Luck, we won the Blue Diamond with Reward For Effort and we won an Inglis Bonus with Specific Choice.