She might be keeping a lid on her excitement, but trainer Kacy Fogden has an undeniable Golden Slipper prospect in unbeaten colt Best Of Bordeaux.
In a show of sustained speed, the youngster proved his Canonbury Stakes victory was no fluke, doing it at both ends for Sam Clipperton to win Saturday’s Group 2 Silver Slipper (1100m) at Rosehill by a half-length over the fast-finishing Magic.
The Silver Slipper has been a handy pointer to the $5 million race with four horses capturing the double in the past decade and Best Of Bordeaux is now third favourite, firming from $15 into $11 following Saturday’s performance.
However, Fogden is keeping her feet on the ground.
“I’m trying to be realistic and not get above myself,” Fogden said.
“It’s obviously pretty exciting but it’s just racing at the end of the day.
“He has obviously got quite a lot of ability and he has slightly defied the odds there (winning on the fence).
“He is just very free-running, so although he was three-deep and out wide (early), the key there, and Sam (Clipperton) knows that, is just to let him run along.”
Fogden didn’t originally plan to give Best Of Bordeaux another start before the Golden Slipper, which is still a month away, but says she will reassess depending on how the horse pulls up.
“I had in my head that we perhaps wouldn’t and we would back off and maybe trial if we needed to. He’s not an overly big horse, he is very clean-winded,” Fogden said.
“But tradition would probably tell us another run wouldn’t go astray.
“We will just see how he pulls up and lets the horse tell us.”
Clipperton was upbeat following the colt’s performance and regards him as a genuine 2022 Golden Slipper contender.
“He was getting a bit tired late, which he was entitled to, but that just proves his Canonbury win was no fluke and he felt even better today,” Clipperton said.
“He’s a live Slipper chance now.”
Magic was superb at his first start, while Tommy Berry felt third placegetter Cythera was looking for 1200 metres.
Favourite Queen Of The Ball finished fifth with Rachel King reporting she didn’t enjoy the soft track.