Conners looks to two-year-olds

Dawn Fraser and John Singleton own a filly trained by Clarry Conners who could head to the Slipper.

Clarry Conners’ quest for a fifth Golden Slipper could move closer if either Skyray or Our Dawn can take the next step in their respective races.

Both are entered for the two-year-old features at Rosehill on Saturday and also for a two-year-old maiden at Canterbury on Friday night.

The trainer will wait until acceptance time to decide whether they will be asked to race in stakes class with Skyray an addition to Saturday’s Canonbury (1100m) for colts and geldings when entries were extended.

Our Dawn is in the Widden Stakes (1100m) while the Canterbury 2YO Maiden is over 1250m.

The filly is owned by John Singleton and his close friend, former Olympic swimmer Dawn Fraser.

“She is a lovely filly and her first start at Gosford wasn’t bad,” Conners said.

“But she is small. She has hardly grown since she was a yearling and would be about 15 hands.”

Skyray is bigger and more experienced and Conners said he had come back from an unsuccessful tilt at the Magic Millions at the Gold Coast in fine shape.

He has had three starts with his best his second to Jonker in the Wyong Millions in December.

The colt had to be vetted when he struck himself in his stall before the Gold Coast feature but Conners said it was a minor incident.

“He took a bit of hair off his hip. It was nothing,” he said.

“He’s come back as good as gold.

“I will have to look at the fields before I decide which way they will go.”

The Golden Slipper second favourite Performer is among the Canonbury nominations while the John Thompson-trained Into The Abyss and Secret Lady from the Gary Portelli stable are the only two winners among the fillies in the Widden.

Conners most recent Golden Slipper win came in 2000 with the Singleton-owned Belle Du Jour with his others Prowl (1998), Burst (1992) and Tierce (1991).