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/ Gary Crispe / 26 March 2012 / Leave a Comment
Gai Waterhouse will be busy on April 7
"Ridden from off the pace, No Looking Back found the line strongly under no pressure in her 1050m heat to be beaten only a head in 64.5 seconds..."
Gai Waterhouse remains hopeful of starting up to six two-year-olds in the $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday week writes Timeform's man 'Down Under' Gary Crispe.
With just two qualifying races remaining for the world's richest two-year-old race Waterhouse has four of her imposing juvenile team safely in the top 18 and another three who will make last ditch bids to gain a start at Rosehill on Saturday.
Her Golden Slipper team is led by the unbeaten colt Pierro ([6.6] second favourite), who is ballot exempt after he added last Saturday's Todman Stakes to his previous wins in the Breeders Plate and Silver Slipper Stakes.
She also has No Looking Back, Driefontein and Raceway assured of starts.
No Looking Back, relegated to second on protest by stablemate Driefontein in the Magic Millions Classic in January and second to Melbourne star Samaready in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield, is sixth on the current order of entry with $220,000 eligible prizemoney.
Driefointein is eighth with $198,000 and Raceway 10th on $127,000.
No Looking Back continued her Slipper preparation in a Randwick barrier trial on Monday morning when she was ridden by her Slipper jockey Craig Williams. Ridden from off the pace, No Looking Back found the line strongly under no pressure in her 1050m heat to be beaten only a head in 64.5 seconds, leaving Williams happy with her condition.
Waterhouse resisted the temptation to trial Driefontein and Raceway and they will go straight to the Slipper on Saturday week without another race.
However, Waterhouse will try to qualify another two more runners for the Golden Slipper in Saturday's final lead-up races, the Pago Pago Stakes and Magic Night Stakes, races that offer the winners ballot exemption.
She will start Pure Hustle against unbeaten boom colt All Too Hard (half-brother to Black caviar) in the Pago Pago while the fillies Valerio and Later Gator will contest the Magic Night Stakes.
Pure Hustle, an impressive winner on debut before disappointing when resuming at Randwick, is currently 34th on the order of entry while Black Opal Stakes third Later Gator is 36th.
Valerio, a bold second in the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick on March 17, is outside the top 40.
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