Leading form analyst Mick Gannon says Shangri La Express is the “forgotten horse” in this year’s Golden Slipper market.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained two-year-old has long-headed the market for the feature juvenile race in this country after winning his first two starts in the Kirkham Plate and the Inglis Golden Gift late last year.
But the market has shifted significantly following last Saturday’s Magic Millions meeting where a number of two-year-old's announced themselves on the big stage.
The winner of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in Storm Boy has rocketed into favouritism for the Slipper on March 23, ahead of stablemate Shangri La Express ($7.50) and Highness ($17).
The Waterhouse & Bott stable have the top two favourites in the Slipper market and it’s those two gallopers that Gannon is keen to follow come Slipper day in the autumn.
“The ratings back up Storm Boy’s win on Saturday and the ratings suggest that the time was really good,” Gannon told SENTrack’s Giddy Up.
“But it is difficult as the one thing that hasn’t been mentioned is that the raced on a new Gold Coast track on Saturday so it’s very hard to quantify the data on a new surface.
“Everything we saw on Saturday suggests that he’s well and truly up to winning a Golden Slipper and potentially the triple crown.
“He’s a very classy animal who is in the right stable, but what I will say is that I think Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have another horse in their stable in Shangri La Express that everyone has forgotten about.
“The data suggests that Shangri La Express isn’t too far off Storm Boy so I think the stable has kept one up their sleeves for the Golden Slipper.
“We tipped Shangri La Express a few weeks ago when it was $15, there’s a long way to go but I’d be very surprised if either Shangri La Express or Storm Boy aren’t winning the Golden Slipper.”
Chances are you’re about to lose. For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au