Blake Shinn will reunite with Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot at Randwick where the pair will bid to add the second leg of the two-year-old triple crown to their autumn carnival haul.
The first five horses across the line in the Slipper (1200m) will clash again in a strong renewal of the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes, this time over 1400m and most likely on a wet track.
Godolphin colt Traffic Warden is the only runner proven at the distance having led throughout in the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), while Anode was narrowly beaten in the Baillieu (1400m) last weekend.
While it will be new territory for Lady Of Camelot, Shinn says the filly has given him no reason to doubt her credentials.
“At the end of the day, the Golden Slipper is the hardest two-year-old race in the world to win, but she did everything right, you have to do everything right to win the race,” Shinn said.
“This is another test, the 1400, but it’s a test for all the contenders.
“She was strong at the end of the Slipper so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Adding to the mystery is the prospect of a heavily rain-affected track.
None of the 10 Sires’ Produce Stakes runners have raced on ground worse than soft, while Lady Of Camelot’s four starts have all been on good surfaces.
Her half-sister Queen Of The Ball prefers firm ground, although she has been stakes placed on a soft 7 track, while her other half-sibling Platinum Jubilee won the 2022 Gimcrack Stakes on a heavy surface.
“It’s another challenge they all face and that’s another unknown that I’m not sure about. Fingers crossed,” Shinn said.
Lady Of Camelot will be one of four runners for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott , who also have Slipper third placegetter Storm Boy, Prost and Anode.
Bott described Lady Of Camelot as a tough filly who had continued to thrive, while he expected Storm Boy and Prost to appreciate a distance rise.
“She has come out of the race remarkably well, which has taken us by surprise. She is an incredibly tough filly,” Bott said of Lady Of Camelot.
“Storm Boy….lost no admirers in the Slipper itself and I’d like to think that going to the 1400 metres, he’ll be better suited by those conditions.
“With Prost, I think the run was better than what it looked in the Golden Slipper. I do feel he’s looking to get out in trip at this point.”
Anode was only overhauled in the final bounds by Linebacker in the Baillieu and will have a fitness advantage over his rivals racing on a seven-day back-up.