Words by Ray Thomas
Trainer John Sargent qualified his first ever Golden Slipper runner when Four Moves Ahead gave a demonstration of her class and courage to win at Royal Randwick.
Four Moves Ahead needed to overcome two setbacks in training in recent weeks before maintaining her perfect race record in the Group 2 $200,000 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m).
The brilliant filly had an elevated temperature which disrupted her preparation then just as she was getting ready to race two weeks ago, she knocked her knee in a stable mishap.
“Four Moves Ahead was only 85 per cent fit for today,’’ Sargent said.
“It’s a relief to get that considering we’ve had a hard last 10 days. I said to Nash (Rawiller) what this filly does today, she will improve a lot from the run.
“We could only get the saddle on her on Tuesday for a gallop and apart from that she has just swum and been led off the pony, so it was great to get the result today and we can move on.”
Four Moves Ahead ($2.70 favourite) scored her second win from as many starts when she held off the late surge of She’s All Class ($4.60) to win by a neck with Mallory ($4.80) two lengths away third.
The Sweet Embrace was run at a genuine tempo with Four Moves ahead running 1m 10.5s which was about three lengths faster than O’President’s 1m 10.99s for the Skyline Stakes although the colt’s division was run at a much slower pace early.
Chris Waller’s She’s All Class produced a monumental effort to come from last and finish second, producing a storming final 600m sectional of 34.32s. (Hilal went 33.74s to finish second in the Skyline Stakes).
Four Moves Ahead held off the fast-finishing She’s All Class to maintain her unbeaten record. Picture: Getty Images
Sargent has never had a two-year-old good enough to get into a $3.5 million Golden Slipper field but confirmed Four Moves Ahead will go straight to the world’s richest juvenile race at Rosehill Gardens on March 20.
“You could see the last bit she was getting tired, she probably came to the end of it the last 100m,’’ Sargent said. “But, we’ve got three weeks now if she comes through it to the Slipper and we can crank up her work and she’ll be a fitter horse then.
“It will give us a bit of time, she can go to the beach tomorrow and just have a few easy days and two weeks out we’ll start cranking her up again. What she did today was very impressive and I know there’s improvement.
Only three fillies have completed the Sweet Embrace Stakes-Golden Slipper double – Crystal Lily (2010), Ha Ha (2001) and Dark Eclipse (1980) – but Four Moves Ahead has the talent to add her name to that elite list.
Nash Rawiller, who rode Pierro to win the Golden Slipper in 2012, is convinced Four Moves Ahead will be hard to beat in the Golden Slipper.
“In the back of my mind, I was worried she could be vulnerable today,’’ Rawiller said. “But she is young and young and vibrant and got over the setbacks quickly.
“But I was sitting up on the speed trying to wait as long as I could, just trying to get her home without hurting her too much.
“This was her chance to get into the Slipper and she will be very competitive.”
Nash Rawiller is confident Four Moves Ahead will be competitive in the Golden Slipper. Picture: Getty Image
Original Source: https://www.racenet.com.au/news/randwick-races-four-moves-ahead-and-opresident-secure-spots-in-golden-slipper-20210227
