Champion trainer Chris Waller has his sights set on a Golden Slipper win after Hungry Heart stormed home to win the Group 2 $200,000 Drinkwise Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) at Randwick today.
Hungry Heart, above in the green colours, races into Golden Slipper contention with a win in the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au quickly wound in Hungry Heart’s price from $101 to be a $14 chance for the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21.
Hungry Heart was only having her second race start after finishing second down the Flemington straight in a 2yo Handicap on January 11 and James McDonald was happy to settle the Frankel filly at the tail of the field.
The $2.30 favourite Stellar Pauline was let slide to the front by Brenton Avdulla and still held the front position until the 250m when Hungry Heart ($9.50) gobbled up the Peter and Paul Snowden trained filly to post a convincing win.
The Gary Portelli trained Dismissal ($41) also ran on from the back to claim third spot just ahead of the Lindsay Park trained Bella Nipotina ($11).
Hungry Heart is now assured of a place in the Golden Slipper with the winner of the Sweet Embrace Stakes exempt from the ballot for the world’s richest race for the two year olds.
“She is pretty talented that is for sure,” Waller said.
“Hopefully she is good enough in three weeks time. It is a good position to be in when you know you have a very good horse and I think there is a lot to work with.”
“She is obviously a very talented horse to win like this today and I think there is a lot still to come.”
Hungry Heart is by European champion Frankel and was a $300,000 yearling purchase from the 2019 Gold Coast Magic Millions Sales.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Farnan sits at the top of the Golden Slipper market at $8 at Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of the Blue Diamond Stakes quinella of Tagaloa and Hanseatic at $9.
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