Racing: Cinderellas line up for slipper fittings

SYDNEY - A host of highly-rated youngsters will take a crucial step towards the Golden Slipper at Rosehill on Saturday when their claims to the A$3.5 million race will sink or soar.

The group two Silver Slipper (1100m) has attracted a crack field of entries, headed by unbeaten filly Chance Bye, Magic Millions runner-up Ambers Waltz, Breeders Plate winner Run For Wilson and last-start Widden Stakes victor Georgette Silk.

Throw in Mafia Miss, Intertidal, Zutara and Divorces and the race is shaping as the most important guide yet to the Golden Slipper.

Trainer Rick Worthington has nominated his Slipper hopefuls Corvidae and Gold Arena, although the latter will be saved for the Kindergarten Stakes a week later.

Corvidae will take his place and Worthington is under no illusions about the task he faces.

"It will be a very strong form race."

"There will be no room for the faint-hearted on Saturday."

Corvidae began his career in Victoria before being transferred to Worthington at Warwick Farm and has largely flown under the radar.

At his first start for his new trainer he was runner-up to Hinchinbrook in the Canonbury Stakes.

It was the colt's first start in the clockwise direction and Worthington said he would take great benefit from that experience.

"I would have loved to have trialled him leading into that but they were called off due to the rain and when they put them back on it was too close to the race," Worthington said.

"He didn't go into the Canonbury under-prepared but he would have been better if he'd had that trial.

"He has more muscle now and he's further down the track in his preparation but he needs to be because it's a tough race."

Corvidae is among entries for the Golden Slipper but like most 2-year-olds he needs to boost his prizemoney of just over A$40,000 to secure a berth.

"He's got to earn his way there and if he can't win a lead-up race then he probably doesn't deserve to be there," Worthington said.

The winner of the Silver Slipper is exempt from any Golden Slipper ballot.

In other Golden Slipper news, Arrowfield Stud boss John Messara said the race remained the target for Beneteau after his third in the Blue Diamond at Caulfield on Saturday.

Blue Diamond winner Star Witness will not run in the Golden Slipper but Messara was positive about Beneteau's chances of making it to Rosehill on April 3.

"The plan is the same as it was going into the Blue Diamond," he said.

"He will come back to Arrowfield and have a relaxing week and [trainer] Paul [Messara] will work out a lead-up for him two or three weeks from the Slipper. He had a very rough run but looked all right after the race but we won't really know until a couple of days time."

Beneteau will try to emulate Arrowfield's previous Golden Slipper winners Flying Spur and Miss Finland, who were placed in the Blue Diamond.

"I think [Beneteau's] run in the Diamond was better than Flying Spur and Miss Finland, and they both won the Slipper," Messara said.

"He got those couple of bumps early in the race and if one of them didn't happen I think he still would have won on Saturday."

A decision on whether apprentice Daniel Ganderton continues as the rider of Beneteau will be made in the next couple of weeks.

- AAP