Lady Of Camelot, Storm Boy Rematch in Sires’ Produce

Jockey Blake Shinn will reunite with Golden Slipper (G1) winner Lady Of Camelot at Randwick April 6 when they bid to add the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (G1), the second leg of the 2-year-old triple crown, to their autumn carnival haul.

The first five horses across the line in the Slipper are set to clash again in a strong renewal of the race on a likely wet track.

While the distance will be new territory for Lady Of Camelot, Shinn said the filly has given him no reason to doubt her credentials.

“At the end of the day, the Golden Slipper is the hardest 2-year-old race in the world to win, but she did everything right. You have to do everything right to win the race,” Shinn said. “This is another test, the 1,400 (meters), but it’s a test for all the contenders. She was strong at the end of the Slipper, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

None of the Sires’ Produce Stakes runners has raced on ground worse than soft, while Lady Of Camelot’s four starts have all been on good surfaces.

“It’s another challenge they all face and that’s another unknown that I’m not sure about. Fingers crossed,” Shinn said.

Lady Of Camelot will be one of four runners in the race for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who are also set to run Slipper third placegetter Storm Boy alongside Prost and Anode.

Having surrendered his perfect record when beaten 1 1/2 lengths into third as favorite for the Slipper, Storm Boy will jump from barrier 8 when he attempts to regain the winning thread in Saturday’s Sires’ Produce Stakes.

“He was still excellent in the Slipper and has come out of it the right way, shown us everything we wanted to see in the last two weeks,” Adrian Bott, who trains the Justify   colt in partnership with Gai Waterhouse, told Racing NSW. The Randwick track was described as a Good 4 on Thursday with rain forecast, and Bott continued: “I think it sets up as better conditions for him, the 1,400 meters will suit and I don’t mind the draw for him.”