News

2013 Golden Slipper in Jason Coyle’s sights

9th Feb 2013

Racenet - Clinton Payne - Saturday, 9 February 2013

Local trainer Jason Coyle isn’t one to get carried away but he says the 2013 Golden Slipper is a realistic aim for his smart Warwick Farm winner on Saturday, Va Pensiero.

The son of Golden Slipper winner Stratum resumed from a spell and looked a juvenile of above average ability when coming from off the speed to score running away in the Australian Turf Club Handicap (1000m).

Coyle said Va Pensiero had always shown good ability but "nothing went right for him on debut” when he finished last in the Breeders Plate at Randwick on October 6 last year. Following the race jockey Christian Reith was stood down after wasting to ride 52kg in the Epsom Handicap later in the day.

"He sat deep and it wasn’t one of Christian’s rides in the Breeders. I think he went home sick that day after the race,” Coyle said.

Va Pensiero ($15) broke a 27-year-old class record when lowering Groucho’s mark by almost a second, running the 1000 metre trip in 56.7 seconds. He defeated All The Talk ($2.60 fav) by a neck with Vela ($14) a further 3-3/4 lengths away in third.

Coyle said Va Pensiero would be given his chance to make the field of 16 for the world’s richest two-year-old race – the $3.5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 6.

"It’s definitely in the plans but you just never know with two-year-olds,” he said. "One day they can be in the stable then in the paddock the next.

"Right now if everything goes to plan the Silver Slipper (March 2) and the Todman Stakes (March 23) are the races we have in our minds to try and get there.”

Winning jockey Christian Reith is of the opinion that Va Pensiero deserves a chance at the rich autumn features. He said the horse will take plenty of benefit from Saturday’s victory.

"He’s always shown me the ability,” he said. "He’s still very raw, very green but he keeps taking the right sort of steps.

"He does relax and you need horses that do that in the big ones. His fitness will improve a lot from today as well.”

The flop of the race was the Gai Waterhouse-trained second favourite Sugar Rush, who raced in the lead before being a beaten conveyance at the top of the straight.