Golden Slipper Trio Ready For Biggest Test

The dramas of the G1 Golden Slipper barrier draw have been put behind Godolphin's big race trio of Astern, Telperion and Calliope with the focus firmly on final preparations for their appearance in Australia's greatest two-year-old race at Rosehill on Saturday, March 19.

Trainer John O'Shea declared his three Slipper runners fit, well and ready to represent the stable in its bid to claim victory in a race it has previously won with Sepoy in 2011.

"The barriers didn't fall our way, but the horses will go to Saturday's race in very good order," O'Shea said.

The unbeaten Astern, to be ridden by James McDonald, will jump from the outside gate with O'Shea taking consolation from the fact that 2015 Slipper winner Vancouver started from the same post position.

"It's been done before and Astern is a horse with the ability to give it a good shot again," he said.

"The forecast is for a soft track, so who knows, it might be better to be out wide."

"Telperion (James Doyle) has continued to progress nicely and we also have Calliope (Sam Clipperton) who is a high-class filly who showed she was back near her best with her win last week."

While most attention is on the $3.5 million Golden Slipper, Godolphin also has high hopes of victory in the G1 Ranvet Stakes for the second year in succession when Hauraki (John O'Shea/James McDonald) attempts to emulate 2015 winner Contributer.

"His two runs this preparation have been very encouraging and after he worked at Warwick Farm on Tuesday James (McDonald) said he'd never felt better," O'Shea said.

The stable's third G1 prospects for the day come in the Rosehill Guineas with Etymology (John O'Shea/James McDonald) and Shards (John O'Shea/Sam Clipperton) who are both on trial for the G1 ATC Derby.

"Etymology is starting to take shape and he's getting out to a more suitable distance and Shards is going well, I just wonder if the others might be a bit too slick for him at the 2000m," O'Shea said.

The graded-race line-up at Rosehill is completed by Alegria (John O'Shea/James McDonald), who is also getting out to a more suitable distance in the 2000m, G3 Epona Stakes, and Ottoman (John O'Shea/James McDonald), in the Listed Darby Munro Stakes.