A decision by the owner of speedy filly Shamrock Slipper to run in the $200,000 Myer Magic Millions Open Sprint (1000m) this afternoon proved a masterstroke when she won the feature dash on the Gold Coast.
Trainer Liam Birchley admitted to not knowing whether the Jet Spur filly would be suited in the sprint, but when connections gave the start a green light, the run was locked in.
The filly showed a great turn of foot in the straight to reel in the leaders and stroll clear to win by a length and a quarter.
Bella Rossie, a runaway winner at her most recent start, caught the eye running second, while Rocket to Glory was third, a further neck behind the runner-up.
“There was good speed and it set it up nice,” Birchley said. “I wasn’t really confident with her chances today.”
“She was coming out of restricted grade and it was a bit of a step up.”
“It was the owner’s call and I’m glad he came up for the race.”
“She’s only a little filly, but she tries really, really hard and I wish a few of my others tried as hard as she does.”
Birchley said the filly was a speedy 1000 metre specialist.
“We might look at 1100 (metres), she’s got good speed thought and she’s a real trier,” Birchley summed.
Birchley will saddle up unbeaten filly Missy Longstocking in the $2 million Jeep Magic Millions 2YO Classic later this afternoon.
Shamrock Slipper was bred Ron and Debbie Gilbert in the Darling Downs and sold through the draft of Highgrove Stud for $120,000 to Martin Byrne Bloodstock at the 2011 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
She is by Glenlogan Park based sire Jet Spur, a former group winning sprint son of Flying Spur.
Her dam, the unraced Tale of the Cat mare Scattered, is from the stakes winning Snippets mare Fragmentation.
That makes Scattered a half sister to the group winning sires Wanted and Shrapnel. A colt by the Newmarket Handicap winner Wanted sold for $460,000 last week at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Jet Spur, the sire of Shamrock Slipper, is the sire of 108 winners including black type performers Biggles, Belle d’Amour, Emmalene, Heza Jetsetter, Equissential and Flying Jet.
