Arcaded opens Golden Slipper door with G3 Magic Night win

A persuasive combination of speed and determination earned Arcaded victory in Saturday’s G3 Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill, and may yet win her a place in next weekend’s G1 Golden Slipper.

The fastest filly out of the gates, Arcaded stayed one off the fence, settling comfortably outside the leader before being called on at the 200m where she quickly found a length and maintained that margin to the line.

Trainer James Cummings, no doubt mindful of his filly Kiamichi who won the Magic Night in 2019 and a week later backed up to win the Golden Slipper, said it wasn’t out of the question that Arcaded (Street Boss) could join the Godolphin colts Anamoe and Ingratiating in the $3.5m juvenile feature.

“I think we take the opportunity to weigh up the rating and the strength of the race,” Cummings said.

But the significance of the Golden Slipper as a “sire-making” race could mean the stable representation will be restricted to the colts Anamoe (Street Boss) and Ingratiating (Frosted).

Anamoe followed his third place in last month’s G1 Blue Diamond Stakes with a victory in the G2 Todman Stakes at Randwick last week that confirmed his Golden Slipper start.

Ingratiating, the Blue Diamond runner-up, finished a fine fifth in the G3 Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday and is likely to proceed to the Slipper.

“Realistically if Arcaded was an owner’s only horse in the stable, most likely she would be back out and running (in the Golden Slipper),” Cummings said.

But with the stable so well-represented next Saturday, the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick on 10 April could be her next mission.

“She’s got professionalism written all over her, there’s just not a lot of her and on account of that, four weeks into the Percy Sykes would seem like a pretty attractive option,” her trainer said.

“But I don’t think we should rule anything out, I think we give ourselves the opportunity to reflect on the rating.”

Winning rider James McDonald tended to support the trainer’s view, describing Arcaded as “tradesman-like”.

“She's obviously been very well educated .... she’s a tradesman-like filly, she’s an absolute babe, she does what she has to do and pulls up without a care in the world. She’s the ultimate professional.”

“She was doing enough to win the race. I couldn't say there was a lot there left, but she is a winner and that is all it takes.”