Golden Slipper Stakes out for Tennessee Vain

Press, 7 April 1987, Page 39

Golden Slipper Stakes out for Tennessee Vain

NZPA-AAP Sydney Tennessee Vain, impressive winner of Saturday’s Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill, will not contest the sAustl million Golden Slipper Stakes on Saturday. The filly’s owners yesterday elected not to pay a $30,000 late entry fee for the two-year-old classic and she is now likely to be aimed at the sAustl 50,000 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400 m at Randwick on April 20. The Tennessee Vain camp know what it takes to win a Golden Slipper — trainer Neville Begg won the race with Dark Eclipse in 1980 and Angus Armanasco, joint manager of the Sandown Lodge Syndicate which owns the filly, trained 1981 winner Full On Aces. Armanasco, whose judgment would have had a major bearing on the final decision, was obviously not swayed by the great record Magic Night winners have in the Slipper. Since 1979 three fillies — Century Miss, Dark Eclipse and . Bounding Away — have used the Magic Night Stakes as a stepping stone to Slipper victory while Food For Love took oiit the race before registering a great second to Full On Aces. “It is an enormous risk to pay a $30,000 late entry fee and then wait for the barrier draw,” said Begg. The vital barrier draw for the Golden Slipper will be conducted at a gala ceremony at Sydney’s Martin Place Amphitheatre today. “You could pay up and draw out in 16. If that happens you might as well tear the money up,” he said. “But I had no influence on the decision. It was entirely up to the owners. “Tennessee Vain won well on Saturday but did have a perfect run in a small field. “She would have to have been extremely fortunate to get a similar passage in a much bigger field in the Slipper.” Begg has a strong respect for Tennessee Vain and believes she will

develop into a top three-year-old. “On what she has done so far she must rate among the top bracket of this season’s fillies and being by Whiskey Road you would expect her to be suited over slightly longer journeys,” he said. “We are looking at the Sires’ Produce but she will also be nominated for the Keith Mac Kay Stakes (1400 m on the first day of the AJC Carnival. "That event is now a set weight race and should suit her nicely.

“Whatever she does this preparation she will certainly improve on as a three-year-old.” After seeing last Saturday’s final lead-ups, Begg still sees the Slipper as an extremely open affair.

“The Golden Slipper is always very open and I don’t think it is any different this year,” he said.

“All the two-year-old events have been closely contested with no horse establishing a clear superiority.”

Of the colts, Begg rates Slipper favourite Christmas Tree and Snippets (from Queensland) as the top hopes along with Rancho Ruler and Maizcay but warns the three kilo advantage to fillies brings the Colin Hayes-trained Midnight Fever right into the race.

The order of entry for the 1987 Tooheys Golden Slipper Stakes, to be run at Rosehill on Saturday: 1 ’Midnight Fever

$335,700 2 ♦Maizcay $168,600 3 ♦Proven Valour $122,400 4 ♦Marauding (NZ) $97,100 5 ♦Postage Due $65,100 6 ♦Christmas Tree $57,390 7 Kaapstad (NZ)$221,150 8 Rancho Ruler $167,300 9 Snippets $87,050 10 Prince Anton $80,500 11 Injustice (NZ) $76,543 12 Celebrity Lover$73,075 13 Mother Duck $69,980 14 Dream Faith $61,625 15 Boasting $43,680 16 Lygon Arms $43,120 17 Flotilla $36,990 18 Tasman Dancer$36,654 19 Potrero $32,540 20 Omnicorp (NZ) $31,200 21 Red Express $27,180 * exempt from ballot.