Gai Waterhouse already dominates early Golden Slipper betting and has produced another contender in Rosehill winner Kuchinskaya.
The Waterhouse-trained Raceway was posted $6 favourite for the $3.5 million Golden Slipper in TAB Sportsbet’s first markets on Friday with stablemates No Looking Back, Driefontein and Pierro all at $13 on the second line of betting.
Kuchinskaya was at $51 but Waterhouse said she would now be given a chance to cement a place in the field after leading all the way to take out the Sydneycarnival.com.au Hcp (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
“She was bombproof today, the penny seems to have dropped,” Waterhouse said.
“I think she’s entitled to press on to a race like the Magic Night Stakes.
“She oozes quality.”
Kuchinskaya ($3.30) held off favourite You Got The Love ($2.60) by 2-3/4 lengths with Clever Boy ($12) another half-head away third.
The race was one of two races for two-year-olds on the Rosehill program to accommodate horses who missed a run when last week’s Warwick Farm meeting was called off due to water on the track.
The 1200m race was won by Cavalry Rose who could also be given her chance at the Slipper on April 7 if she shows trainer Gerald Ryan further improvement.
The filly won the Inglis Classic on debut and took her earnings to $236,000 with Saturday’s win.
Shaded for favouritism by Jade Marauder ($2.60) in the Styletread.com.au handicap, Cavalry Rose ($2.90) was up handy while Hugh Bowman elected to take her rival back from her wide alley.
Cavalry Rose took the lead in the straight and went to the line three-quarters of a length in front of the fast-finishing Jade Marauder.
“It’s very hard to keep two-year-olds up for a long time because anything can happen,” Ryan said.
“If she does go on to the Slipper she will only have one run.
“She has done a great job already. She has earned more than $230,000 and can’t do any more than she has done.
“She is learning all the time and getting better.
“You could see that by the way she went to the line much better than she did in the Inglis Classic.
“She’s got race sense and tactical speed so that will take her a long way.”
Glyn Schofield has ridden the filly in both her races and said her talent was obvious.
“What you see is what you get,” he said.
