Sebring Colt on Track for Golden Slipper
The 2008 Golden Slipper was run on a heavy 10 track with victory going to Sebring, who may well sire the winner of this year’s Golden Slipper with his star Gary Portelli trained colt Sejardan confirming his credentials with a powerful win in the Group II ATC Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Brilliant in the spring when winning the Group III ATC Breeders Plate and $1million Golden Gift, Sejardan was beaten for the first time when finishing third in the $2million Inglis Millennium last month, but was quick to atone.
He settled at the back for Jason Collett and unleashed a big finish to charge home and win by half a length running away.
Gary Portelli won the Golden Slipper with She Will Reign in 2017 and has a strong hand this year with Sejardan to be joined in the big race by his stablemate Fireburn, who won the Group II Sweet Embrace Stakes last week.
“It’s going to be the longest two weeks in history. It’s funny, I was just watching coming to the corner, I thought ‘you’ve got a bit of work to do here’ and that track was really soft and he was ploughing,” said Portelli.
“But he’s just got the iceman on (Jason Collett). He just waits until the horse starts to regain itself and picks up and every stride he felt the horse start to lengthen and he asked for a bit more.
“He (Collett) never panics and he knows where the winning post is, this horse. Look out in two weeks time.”
Jason Collett has been on Sejardan in every start and has a great affinity with the colt.
“I’ve loved him from day dot. He is a raw type with a good head on him and he makes the job easy. It was a good effort today,” Collett said.
“He probably wasn’t overly keen on that part of the track to be there and he had to do a little bit of work to get into the race, but he toughed it out late.”
Sejardan was a $160,000 Inglis Classic purchase for his trainer from the Middlebrook Valley Lodge draft and runs for a syndicate of stable clients including Portelli’s wife Kellie as well as John and Anne McDonnell, who were in the original ownership of Sebring.
Sejardan has already banked $665,000 with three wins from his first four starts and will be a great chance to emulate his sire Sebring and win the Golden Slipper in two weeks time.
“He could stand here and do this interview with us, he is such an intelligent horse, he is the coolest customer for a colt I have come across,” Portelli revealed.
“He eats, he drinks, he works. He doesn’t go out to show off or anything like that, he just goes out and does his work and he turns up on race day. It’s all ahead of him. He is just a lovely horse.
“The bad horses, or the average horses, can’t cope with five weeks between runs and come out and win a $1 million race, they’re looking for a paddock after a bit of pressure. This bloke, I don’t know, he’s just different. If I choose the race, I have him ready for it, he races well.”
Sejardan is the second foal and first winner for Miss Amajardan, a former smart spring two year-old Sydney winner by Hinchinbrook and a half-sister to speedy stakes horses Blazing Miss and Tristate.
Miss Amajardan is now back in foal to Trapeze Artist.
