Switzerland foot perfect in key Slipper lead up
Coolmore and Chris Waller’s $1.5 million colt Switzerland (Snitzel) issued a loud warning that the Golden Slipper picture was not all Tulloch Lodge-coloured when he stormed to victory in an engrossing Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick yesterday.
In a classic edition of the key lead up to Australian breeding’s most important race, Switzerland was sent out a fairly static $3.60 second-favourite behind one of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s many juvenile stars of the season, Straight Charge (Written By) at $2.80.
The eight-horse field also included Waterhouse and Bott’s Golden Gift (1100m) winner Shangri La Express (Alabama Express, $14) and Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) victor Espionage (Zoustar, $4), along with the latter’s fellow James Harron colts syndicate runner, last-start Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (Gr 3, 1100m) winner, Bodyguard (I Am Invincible), who was sent off at $8.50 for trainers Peter and Paul Snowden.
In a keen betting race, Espionage and Bodyguard, from the two outside gates, were the only firmers, and only slightly at that.
Straight Charge was expected to be fitter for his brilliant Silver Slipper Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) success over Espionage on February 24, off just a seven-week let-up from a second-start Randwick win on December 23.
Waterhouse also said pre-race that Shangri La Express would likely turn the tables on Switzerland after running second to him the start before, when first-up from a spell, while Switzerland had one winning run under his belt.
Improvement was also forecast second-up for Espionage, who had beaten Straight Charge in the Breeders’ Plate in September.
But across all such musings and zig-zagging formlines, Switzerland made it all look simple, shining as a pure beam of quality and stumping up more emphatic backing for his sale price.
Natural leader Straight Charge didn’t have things his own way, as debutant Verlander (Written Tycoon) and, more so, All Inclusive (All Too Hard), applied pressure to him up front.
Shangri La Express settled nicely in fourth, two lengths behind all this noise, with James McDonald sitting sweetly outside, aboard Switzerland.
Atop the rise, Straight Charge gave his usual kick, darting almost three lengths clear, but McDonald, although four lengths behind, was simply moving Switzerland up to his higher gears. Shangri La Express burst into the clear inside him, Espionage struck traffic behind, and Switzerland knuckled down to his task.
Straight Charge was still two lengths clear at the 200 metres, but only a length ahead at the red paint. Switzerland pushed powerfully past him to win by almost a length.
The victor looked imposing, a fine impression in the same Coolmore navy blue as last year’s first-campaign Slipper winner Shinzo (Snitzel), but there were still eye-catching runs to be digested with a view to the grand final.
Bodyguard, robbed of a Group 1 attempt and a crucial Slipper-campaign run when ordered to be scratched as one of the favourites for the Blue Diamond, was an impressive two and three-quarter lengths fourth in his first clockwise run. The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained colt will draw enormous benefit from the outing.
And like Bodyguard, Espionage was making ground on Straight Charge and third-placegetter Shangri La Express at the end, and may have finished better than fifth, if not concerned with bumping into clear running for large parts of the straight.
With two weeks to go, bookmakers reacted by tightening Switzerland to $4.50, behind Tulloch Lodge’s long-time favourite Storm Boy (Justify) at $2.30. Straight Charge eased a few points to $11, level with Espionage.
Waterhouse-Bott’s Fully Lit (Hellbent) – who’ll attempt Canberra’s Black Opal Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) today – is $15, level with Blue Diamond first two Hayasugi (Royal Meeting) and Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon), and the latter’s Tulloch Lodge stablemate Shangri La Express at $15. Bodyguard sits next at $17, with another Waterhouse-Bott hope Prost (Snitzel).
Considering the top of the Slipper market, it’s perhaps easy to forget that fillies filled the first four placings in the Blue Diamond. Still, it’s significant that Erno’s Cube (Rubick) – the winner of yesterday’s key Slipper lead-up for females in the Reisling Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) – was last night a $34 hope for the Rosehill feature.
The four-from-four Storm Boy – himself the subject of a Coolmore purchase that may swell as high as $60 million – still looks set to start the shortest Slipper favourite since Alinghi (Encosta De Lago) ran third at $1.70 in 2004.
But Coolmore and Waller will be liking Switzerland’s own perfect record, as the colt is aimed to win the Slipper at his fourth start, like Shinzo, but unlike last year’s winner, Switzerland will head to the Rosehill feature unbeaten.
“For a coach, it makes the next two weeks that little bit easier to know you’re on target,” Waller said.
“If you’re running second and thirds, you’re scratching your head and wondering: ‘What do I have to do to get a bit of improvement out of a horse?’
“What I will be doing for the next two weeks is keeping things simple.”
Waller said this contrasted his preparation of Shinzo to become his first Slipper winner, with that colt having only secured his spot the week before with his maiden win in the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
Comparing the pair, he said: “They’re very well bred, good connections, as most of our stable are. Shinzo got there at the last minute, he won the week before, whereas this horse has had a more planned preparation through his great ability.
“Today’s field was as good a field as I’ve seen leading into a Slipper for a while and hopefully the form stacks up in two weeks’ time.”
And while some of yesterday’s beaten brigade can expect to improve off the run, Waller warned his colt would, too.
“He has kept improving with each run and putting on a bit of weight, strengthening up nicely and enjoying himself, which is the most important thing for any horse,” he said.
The question still remains over who will ride Switzerland and Storm Boy. McDonald is two-from-two on Switzerland, and had his first go on Storm Boy, thanks to his new ownership, when he took last weekend’s Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m). But Coolmore are also flying in their even more highly regarded and retained rider Ryan Moore for the Slipper, who made the quick dash to Australia to partner Shinzo last year.
Waller seemed content to let Coolmore make that monumental choice.
“I’m very lucky to be training for so many great owners, including Coolmore,” he said. “The beauty of that is they’re well organised and they’ll make their decision.”
McDonald said last week he’d love to stick with Storm Boy. Yesterday, Switzerland may have blurred that picture.
“He’s a proper little racehorse – he just turns up and does his job,” he said.
“He’s so economical, he’s got the best attitude and that takes him a long way. He surprised me today. I thought that was an extremely good field and he won with a bit of authority in the end. I felt like I was really building to my top level right at the end, so he sustained a great gallop. And he’s definitely the one to beat in the Slipper.
“He just keeps turning up. [Storm Boy] is completely different. He’s a big beast of a colt and he’s got so much character and enthusiasm about everything. This one, he’s a racehorse. He gets out there and does it.”
Still, McDonald believes it will be Moore calling the shots.
“When Ryan barks, they all listen. So I think I’ll be definitely turning up to that meeting,” he said, conceding that it would be a hugely difficult decision, not aided by the input of two different stables.
“We’ll see how it all plays out but at the end of the day, [Coolmore] have the final call and they’ll put the rider on who they think suits the horse. I hope I get the choice but we’ll see. It’s so hard.”
Switzerland was the fifth-highest lot and the third-top colt when bought at the Inglis Australian Easter Sale last year by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier. Switzerland is the first foal of Canadian-bred mare Ms Bad Behavior (Blame), a dual stakes-winner in the US who was bought by Arrowfield’s Jon Freyer – with the stud’s super sire Snitzel in mind – for $600,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2019.
Ms Bad Behavior has now had three colts by Snitzel, and is in foal to him again. Freyer said a “superb” yearling colt was bound for the Easter sale this year, while a foal born on October 1 “might just be the best of the three”.
Of yesterday’s beaten jockeys, Tim Clark said Straight Charge had been “pretty solid” after dealing with that early pressure, while Regan Bayliss felt Shangri La Express had improved and was “on track”.
Tommy Berry said Bodyguard had “gone really well”.
“He blew out late with the bit of time in between runs and will clean up nice for the Slipper,” Berry said.
Nash Rawiller was left to lament that “pretty much nothing went right” for him and Espionage.
“Very happy with the horse,” he said. “He’ll hopefully draw a bit better in the Slipper and we’ll still be competitive.”