G1 Golden Slipper aspirations on the line at Randwick

With the Golden Slipper now just five weeks away, anticipation is building for the southern hemisphere’s richest two-year-old race. Several promising juveniles will be looking to make their mark at Randwick this weekend.

Among the 11 competitors in the Pierro Plate (1100m), three contenders are currently listed at $26 with betting apps or lower in the Slipper betting markets. Race favorite Pallaton is priced at $2.30 for Saturday and $11 for the Golden Slipper, while Coolmore’s United States sits at $15, and the James Cummings-trained Comedy is rated a $26 chance.

Comedy, who debuted with a win at Randwick in October, will race with blinkers for the first time as Cummings aims to enhance his performance.

“We’ve experimented with some gear changes, and we’re pleased with how he’s been working leading up to this race,” Cummings said.

“Any horse with Golden Slipper ambitions needs to perform well against this level of competition.

“He’s training in a way that suggests he can match it with the field.”

Trainer Michael Freedman also has high expectations for Pallaton, who impressed on debut with a dominant victory, finishing almost three lengths ahead of Comedy’s stablemate Chergui.

By Wootton Bassett, the same sire as Golden Slipper favorite Wodeton, Pallaton is expected to get a strong run from barrier two. Freedman is particularly pleased with the colt’s focused and professional demeanor.

“He had a short break after his win, mainly to freshen him up mentally,” Freedman said.

“It was a strong performance, and he made an impression. That’s reflected in the Slipper markets.

“He’s a very straightforward two-year-old, so if he continues progressing over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at the big one in March.”

Snitzel colt United States is also attracting attention in betting for both the Pierro Plate and Golden Slipper. Trained by Chris Waller, he produced an eye-catching finish in his last start at Randwick, coming from the back of the field to narrowly miss victory behind Open Secret.

With an extra 100m to work with in Saturday’s race, United States should have every chance to showcase his closing speed.