IF She Will Reign is showing any signs of a Golden Slipper hangover, trainer Gary Portelli is yet to pick up on them, declaring the filly is “flying” ahead of her return at Moonee Valley.
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With Slipper rival Houtzen defecting to the Group 3 Scarborough Stakes tonight, it has been left to She Will Reign to fly the flag for the youngsters in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m).
“I couldn’t be happier with her,” Portelli said. “She’s flying. She’s still the same shape, but she’s just expanded. She’s more thickset, 40 kilos heavier than what she was in the Slipper, but you can’t see it anywhere.
“She’s just got stronger through the neck, shoulders and hindquarter.”
After a golden period of eight wins in 15 years, three-year-olds have won just two of the past 15 Moir Stakes, those being Extreme Choice last year and Virage De Fortune — the last filly — in 2005.
She Will Reign is the second favourite behind Russian Revolution on Friday night.
The fate of the Golden Slipper winner is always an intriguing conundrum and one that punters have invariably come out on the wrong side of.
Of the past 15 Slipper winners, Pierro, Sepoy and Miss Finland are the only ones to win first-up at three.
Based on two outstanding trials and her work at home, Portelli sees no reason to think She Will Reign cannot join that club on Friday night, albeit in a race tougher than the one he envisaged when picking it as a starting point months ago.
“I know if I was in a three-year-old race I would be supremely confident but, taking on the older horses, you don’t know until you have a go,” he said.
“I honestly thought going to Melbourne would be the softer option, rather than going around against Chautauqua and Redzel who are in Sydney before the Everest. I thought I would take on those horses when I have to, but as it has turned out, this race is a bigger field and stronger field than what we anticipated, so she’s actually going to get a good test.
“At least from where she’s drawn, she won’t get bottled up on the fence.”
She Will Reign is booked on a float on Sunday morning to return to Sydney, where she will have two weeks to fine tune her tilt on the $ 10 million The Everest.
Portelli said the deal to secure an Everest start was done “within days” of the Slipper, but at this stage no rider had been confirmed, with tonight’s rider Kerrin McEvoy committed to Redzel.
“There’s a few jockeys waiting to see how she goes. I’m sure, the phone will run hot if she wins,” he said.
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