The Golden Slipper with Wednesday’s midweek maiden winner, King of Pop, is the target of trainer Gerald Ryan. King Of Pop, the son of 2020 Golden Slipper winner Farnan, came from midfield to win the Find Your Next G1w @ The Chase 2YO Plate (1100m) at Warwick Farm by a slim margin. He then solidified from $34 into $26 for the Golden Slipper. Ryan, who works with Sterling Alexiou, stated, “I’ve always liked this little horse.” “He’s always been my favorite candidate for the Golden Slipper.”He struck the line well and eased back off a scorching speed, which is what I liked about today.
Having bought and trained the dam Za Zi Ba, grand-dam Weiner, and her half-brother, the renowned stallion Snitzel, Ryan is well-versed in the family. He declared, “We’ll step him up now.” “His sprinting pedigree is excellent.”He will have a lot of value if he can win a respectable race. “In a week and a half, there will be the Skyline, followed by the Todman and Canberra, and finally, the Pago Pago.”I’ll solicit his advice on which race to target. As we did with Hinchinbrook, I would have no trouble supporting him in the Slipper off the Pago Pago. At the 2024 Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast, King of Pop was purchased for $800,000. Second-place finisher Savvy Hallie was on the same debut and she too was impressive.
Brad Widdup’s Hellbent filly finished three wide out of the lead, had a fantastic kick straightening, and was grabbed late, losing by a half head and two and a half lengths to the Congressman, trained by Chris Waller, in third place. Ben Vassallo, a former jockey and part owner, stated, “That was all we could have hoped for.” “Before determining the next course of action, Brad will bring her home to observe how she handles today.”Given that she works at this time of year, a slipper lead-up might be an option for her, but we’ll let Brad make the final decision. “I think we have a nice filly, regardless of what comes next.” The Golden Slipper has a $101 chance of winning Savvy Hallie.
