Monday, 26 March 2012: Gai Waterhouse remains hopeful of starting up to six two-year-olds in the $3.5 million AAMI Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday week.
 | No Looking Back Photo by Racing and Sports | |
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With just two qualifying races remaining for the world's richest two-year-old race Waterhouse has four of her imposing juvenile team safely in the top 18 and another three who will make last ditch bids to gain a start at Rosehill on Saturday.
Her Golden Slipper team is led by the unbeaten colt
Pierro 
, who is ballot exempt after he added last Saturday's Todman Stakes to his previous wins in the Breeders Plate and Silver Slipper Stakes.
She also has No Looking Back,]Driefontein and Raceway assured of starts.
No Looking Back 
, relegated to second on protest by stablemate Driefontein in the Magic Millions Classic in January and second to Melbourne star Samaready in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield, is sixth on the current order of entry with $220,000 eligible prizemoney.
Driefointein is eighth with $198,000 and
Raceway 
10th on $127,000.
No Looking Back continued her Slipper preparation in a Randwick barrier trial on Monday morning when she was ridden by her Slipper jockey Craig Williams.
She was ridden off the pace and found the line strongly under no pressure in her 1050m heat to be beaten only a head in 64.5 seconds, leaving Williams happy with her condition.
Waterhouse resisted the temptation to trial Driefontein and Raceway and they will go straight to the Slipper on Saturday week without another race.
However Waterhouse will try to qualify another two more runners for the Golden Slipper in Saturday's final lead-up races, the Pago Pago Stakes and Magic Night Stakes, races that offer the winners ballot exemption.
She will start
Pure Hustle 
against unbeaten boom colt
All Too Hard 
in the Pago Pago while the fillies
Valerio 
and
Later Gator 
will contest the Magic Night Stakes.
Pure Hustle, an impressive winner on debut before disappointing when resuming at Randwick, is currently 34th on the order of entry while Black Opal Stakes third Later Gator is 36th.
Valerio, a bold second in the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick on March 17, is outside the top 40.
Waterhouse expects Pure Hustle to perform better on a good track.
'Pure Hustle is a nice colt and he will run a very good race,' Waterhouse said.
Other talented youngsters striving to make the Slipper field on Saturday include the impressive Canterbury debut winner
She's A Fox 
in the Magic Night and
Collect 
, third to Ashokan and Raceway in the Skyline Stakes at Randwick on March 17.
There are 20 fillies nominated for the Magic Night Stakes but only 12 colts and geldings in the Pago Pago.
