More Than Ready colt Kiss And Make Up tumbled in betting for the Golden Slipper as bookmakers reacted to his front-running victory in the G2 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
Kiss And Make Up swept aside odds-on favourite Capitalist in a performance that saw him firm from $51 into $8 for the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes. Melbourne-based stablemates Extreme Choice ($2.80) and Flying Artie ($6) are the market leaders for the $3.50 million race on March 19.
The Gai Waterhouse trained colt became the 155th stakes winner by More Than Ready on Saturday and he’s on track to join the Vinery champion’s previous Golden Slipper winners Phelan Ready and Sebring.
“He did it so easily,” Waterhouse said. “Capitalist was at him early on but he was a colt on a mission. That’s what you need for the Golden Slipper.”
Kiss And Make Up (2c More Than Ready – Fashions Afield by Redoute’s Choice) is a Strawberry Hill Stud homebred for John Singleton and had won on debut at a Canterbury midweek meeting last month.
“He’s improved from Canterbury and is heading in the right direction,” jockey Kerrin McEvoy said. “He can improve again into the Golden Slipper. He can go there and more than hold his own.”
Singleton kept a share with Waterhouse in Kiss And Make Up after selling the colt for $150,000 at the 2015 Gold Coast Magic Millions. He’s named after a highly publicised run-in and subsequent reconciliation between the pair following an unplaced run by champion mare More Joyous in the 2013 All Aged Stakes.
“I spoke to Singo this morning,” Gai told the media after the two-length victory. “I said we wouldn’t have this horse if we hadn’t kissed and made up.”
His dam Fashions Afield was a Group 1 winner of the 2005 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes and AJC Flight Stakes at Randwick and her latest yearling is an All Too Hard filly purchased by Ron Burns for $250,000 at the 2016 Gold Coast Magic Millions
