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A look at who the top 2YOs have been to date and how they measure up as Slipper hopes
It is said that the most optimistic people are those with an unraced two-year-old.
There would be owners and trainers with a juvenile yet to be seen this season who would still cling to the hope that their charge could be a factor in this year's Golden Slipper.
But history tells us that we have already seen the colt or filly who will win this year's $5 million event with no February debutant having won the Slipper since Forensics in 2007.
With that in mind, we can try and formulate a Top 5 pecking order with this the first in what will be a weekly column aimed at using ratings to help try and determine who look the hardest to beat in the 1200-metre event at Rosehill on March 23.
Storm Boy: The Justify colt has been the standout juvenile to date, unbeaten in three starts, the latest when a brilliant winner of the best two-year-old race we have seen this season – the $3m Magic Millions Classic (1200m) on the Gold Coast – which he won in 116. That is clearly the highest ratings posted by a youngster so far this season, meaning it is no surprise he is one of the shortest Slipper favourites we have seen at the start in February in years at $3.
Lady Of Camelot : Storm Boy's Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained stablemate left her rivals for dead in last Saturday's G3 Widden Stakes (1100m), a race last year's Slipper second favourite Learning To Fly won in 2023. The daughter of Written Tycoon elevated from 100 on debut to 107, the highest figure recorded by a filly and the equivalent of 111 for a colt.
Coleman: The son of first-season sire Pierata announced himself with a 102 win in the Debutant Stakes (1000m) back in October confirmed his high standing in last Saturday's Chairman's Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield in 111. Probably unlucky not to hold second ranking, but it has been 14 years since a Victorian won the Slipper.
Switzerland : Sits in equal fourth spot with others who have run to 107, but what sets him apart from the others on that mark is that he did it on debut, in a 1000m 2YO handicap at Randwick on January 27. The $1.5m Easter yearling shares some similarities with last year's Slipper hero Shinzo, being a son of Snitzel who is trained by Chris Waller and he races in the Coolmore navy.
Straight Charge : The Breeders Plate runner-up owns the third highest-rating to date – 109, which he ran when winning over 1100m at Randwick on December 23 – which underlines his potential but did have an issue that forced him out of the Magic Millions, for which he was battling it out for favouritism with Storm Boy, and hasn't even been seen back at the trials since.
Things really ramp up from this week with 105-raters High Octane and Bold Bastille headlining those engaged in the Blue Diamond Preludes at Caulfield, while Fully Lit has been well-backed to elevate from his 101 debut rating in the $2 million Inglis Millennium at Randwick.
