Farnan loses Slipper favouritism

Farnan has lost favouritism for the Golden Slipper after drawing barrier 14 in the rich race.

Tagaloa is favourite to add the Golden Slipper to his Blue Diamond Stakes win after coming up with a good barrier in the world’s richest race for two-year-olds.

Trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Tagaloa replaced Farnan at the head of the Golden Slipper market when he drew barrier six and the latter came up with 14.

The TAB wound Tagaloa into $5 with Farnan and Blue Diamond runner-up Hanseatic both at $6.

Farnan will be out to give Gai Waterhouse a seventh Slipper win and a first in her training partnership with Adrian Bott.

Prague is on the fourth line of betting at $13 and heads the team from the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable which has four runners in the field and first emergency Rathlin.

Their guaranteed runners are Prague (7), Away Game (3), Muntaseera (18) and Cellsabeel (12), the former Slipper favourite who almost missed the cut after an unplaced finish in the Silver Slipper and third in the Black Opal.

Leading trainer Chris Waller will have two runners – Global Quest and Hungry Heart – in a race in which he has had few runners.

Global Quest won the Breeders’ Plate in October, Sydney’s first two-year-old race of the season, and has since run second to Prague and Farnan before his fourth in the Todman Stakes, won by Farnan.

He threw a slight scare into the camp when he had a mildly elevated temperature on Monday which has since returned to normal.

Frankel filly Hungry Heart won the Sweet Embrace Stakes last month and had a race day gallop at Rosehill on Saturday.

“Hungry Heart has come on nicely since her good win last start and she had a nice gallop at Rosehill between races,” Waller said.

“Her breeding is something interesting for a Frankel to be running in the Golden Slipper but I’m sure she will run out a strong 1200 metres and I’m happy with how her preparation has been.

“Global Quest, he won the Breeders and was nearly favourite for the Golden Slipper and has gone missing a little.

“But I think he’s looking for a little further now. A tough 1200 will make it more like a 1400-metre race which is what he’s looking for.”

Hungry Heart, who has barrier five, is a $17 chance with Global Quest (15) out to $67.

There are five Group One races on the day with the meeting to be run without spectators in light of the coronavirus pandemic.