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Trainer: David Hayes Jockey: Craig Williams
2006 was the 50th Anniversary of the Golden Slipper but was not proving to be a vintage year for two year olds. Many one time favourites had fallen by the wayside in the weeks leading up to the Slipper but one
thing that was obvious was that trainer David Hayes was by far the most successful with two year old winners so far this season. At one stage it seemed he could have four runners in the race but at acceptance time
was left with two - Churchill Downs and Miss Finland. Miss Finland had raced four times for two wins (at Ballarat and the Talindert Stakes at Flemington) and had come second in the Blue Diamond Stakes at
Flemington to stablemate Nadeem. At her only start in Sydney and ridden by regular rider Craig Williams she started favourite but could only manage to run fourth to Pure Energy in the Reisling Slipper
Stakes. David Hayes decided to use blinkers on her in the Slipper and plans were for her to race near the lead. When the field jumped however she was near the tail of the field but the astute
jockey "kept his cool" and stayed near the rails. Rounding the home turn and with all other jockeys inexplicably scouting wide, Williams stayed on the fence and quickly burst to the lead - going on to win by four
lengths. Pure Energy, from the outside barrier threaded her way through the field to take second place from the winner's stablemate, Churchill Downs. The win was the first for trainer, David Hayes, who
returned to Australia in 2005 after a successful career of ten years in Hong Kong. His father, Colin Hayes, trained Rory's Jester to win the 1985 Golden Slipper. |
