Weekend Wrap Up - Reisling Stakes and Houtzen Win at Eagle Farm!

Written on the 6 March 2017

Things are well and truly heating up for the Golden Slipper on March 18th after the weekend's outcome.

With a dry track at Eagle Farm, and rain expected over the weekend in Sydney/Canberra, the choice paid off for Houtzen, blitzing the other runners at the Winning Edge Presentations QTIS two-year-olds Handicap at Eagle Farm on Saturday with a 4 length lead. It was a nice wrap-up for her Golden Slipper campaign with an easy win.

"The run wasn't very tough. She actually didn't want to pull up (on Saturday). She pulled up into the back straight, so she was quite keen to keep going, which was good," trainer Toby Edmonds said.

"That's what we wanted. We didn't want a gut busting run."

"She has recovered quite well and was fresh and bright (Sunday) morning," Edmonds told Radio TAB's Past The Post.

"The Slipper will be another step up, but she did it Magic Millions Day so we know she can do it," Edmonds said.

The I Am Invincible sired Houtzen will have a hitout at the Gold Coast on Saturday and then "taper" next week before heading south.

She's going to be my first ever Slipper runner," Edmonds said.

"We will have her as right as we can. She tries every time and I think she fits the bill."

At Randwick on Saturday, it was a surprise win by Frolic who came out of nowhere to beat the favourite She will Reign by over 2 lengths in the Affinity Shipping Reisling Stakes (1200m).

Tommy Berry, Frolic jockey, gambled by taking his filly to the extreme outside rail, finding the fast lane, which proved a winning move as she swept past She Will Reign to take out the Group 2 $300,000 Reisling Stakes.

Sire of dam, Redoute's Choice filly Frolic was ridden with brilliance by Tommy Berry on a rain-drenched track that left She Will Reign struggling to get through the ground before the bend.

Frolic's trainer Michael Freedman acknowledged Berry's contribution to his filly's win.

"To Tommy's credit, he said, to me before the race 'if they start trekking out into the middle of the track, I have no issues coming to the outside fence, I think it's the best place to be'," Freedman said.

She Will Reign jockey Ben Melham thought at the 700m mark, he was in a bit of trouble.

He said She will Reign ran really well despite not getting through the very heavy going.

"It is really testing conditions and I was never as confident during the run," Melham said.

"She made hard work of it but if the track was a couple of grades better, it would have been a different story."

"I would take nothing away from her. She's a great filly and has done nothing wrong so far. She was gallant in defeat," Frolic jockey Tommy Berry said.

"Whoever was on her in the Slipper going into Saturday, I definitely wouldn't jump off her."

Berry intends to stick with Frolic in the Slipper, as he believes she will make an ideal Sires and Champagne horse as she gets out over more ground.

She Will Reign trainer Gary Portelli took the defeat philosophically and said She Will Reign will be competitive in the $3.5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill in two weeks.

She Will Reign remains the favourite for the Golden Slipper Group 1 for two-year-olds run over 1200m but there's still a lot of support for Houtzen.

(Picture to the right, Houtzen winning at Eagle Farm - Photo Credit: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography)

(Picture to the left, Frolic winning from the outside at the Reisling Stakes - Photo Credit: Jenny Evans)