Myer Sydney Confidential Ladies Day 2009
Rosehill Gardens - Saturday, 21 March
More information to follow ...
Festival opens with glorious day at Canterbury Park Canterbury Park
The 2008 Golden Slipper Festival got away to a sensational start on Saturday, 5 April with Myer Sydney Confidential Ladies’ Day staged at Canterbury Park.
The return of first-class racing to the intimate racecourse was met with glorious weather as 7,500 racegoers experienced autumn racing and fashion at its finest.
The quality race fields were vying for more than $1.8 million in prize money and for some, a much sought after place in the AAMI Golden Slipper to be held at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, 19 April.
The two Golden Slipper trials (Races 1 & 3) promised the first and second-place getters an automatic entry into the world’s richest race for two-year-olds. Colt Krupt (trained by Matthew Smith at Warwick Farm) just edged out Bart Cummings’ Related while in the fillies race, New Zealand bred Hips Don’t Lie scored over Anatomica, with all four now entitled to contest the $3.5 million sprint in a fortnight.
One of only three Group 1 races for mares in Australia, the Myer Queen of the Turf Stakes (1550m) was won by last year’s AAMI Golden Slipper winner, Forensics. In the other Group 1 events, the Ranvet Stakes (1900m), crowd favourite Tuesday’s Joy gave trainer Gai Waterhouse her second successive winner in the race.
Earlier in the day, a large crowd assembled in the Fashion Precinct as the latest autumn fashion trends were paraded during the heats of the National Young Designer Awards. Ten finalists, who will compete in the grand final on AAMI Golden Slipper Day, were selected by a panel of celebrity judges including Jennifer Hawkins and Lauryn Eagle.
The ever-popular Myer Fashions on the Field contest attracted more than 80 ladies who competed for a prize pool worth $20,000. In taking out Saturday’s heats, dance teacher Clare Rowe from Hurstville (pictured above with Jennifer Hawkins), has secured a place in the Myer Fashions on the Field final, also to be held on 19 April.
Golden Slipper Festival ambassador, Daniel Mifsud performs the National Anthem
on a glorious day of racing at Canterbury Park.