Following are the fields and finishing positions in the last three Golden Slippers. We have also looked at the form of the runners post-race and it makes for interesting reading. What appears to stand out is the path that many of the colts in particular now follow. The days of going on to chase the Derbies is long gone. It is races like the Golden Rose and the Coolmore that seem more likely to be the goals to add value to a stallion career. Oddly, the Caulfield Guineas which was once the go-to race for stallions seems to not have the same importance. This is especially odd when we can say that likely the two best colts to have come out of the Slipper in recent years, in Anamoe and Militarize both were on a Caulfield Guineas path.
It is also abundantly clear that the Golden Slipper is a Sydney race. The overwhelming majority of runners come from that jurisdiction and even the scheduling of early 2yo city races lend themselves to Slipper qualification. Interstate horses tend to come from the Blue Diamond and Magic Millions but it seems that the task of peaking for those races makes it a difficult route to go on the Slipper. We have seen more of the Slipper runners go on to the major Sprint races in Melbourne. Horse like Artorius and Home Affairs went that route and then to the UK for international exposure.
Notably the lack of success of many of the runners is apparent. It is not uncommon to see them finished their career by the end of their 3yo season to get a head start on a lucrative breeding career. The simple numbers of mares being covered and the fees that are being charged on horses that have made an impression in a handful of races is really quite staggering. It is also a little surprising to see that many fillies are going to stud at such a young age. Oddly we have not seen one of the fillies from the Slipper head towards an Oaks in recent years. Unless it is a filly like Coolangatta that can earn a Group 1 victory, it seems that 2yo black type is about the pinnacle of value for a broodmare. Given that
