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Hippo Happy Prost's Flying Under The Slipper Radar

By Ray Hickson

It doesn’t bother jockey Adam Hyeronimus that all the attention is on a couple of boom colts heading into Saturday’s $5m TAB Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens because he’s adamant his mount Prost is the forgotten horse of the two-year-old classic.

Jockey Adam Hyeronimus (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Of course, Hyeronimus knows more about the horse he, and everyone, has to beat in the Slipper than most having ridden Storm Boy in two of his four wins including the Magic Millions.

And after mixing it with the unbeaten Slipper favourite in the Group 2 Skyline Stakes earlier this month he says he’s a genuine chance to turn the tables.

“I think he’s well and truly under the radar, every run he’s had has been brilliant,’’ Hyeronimus said.

“He’s got a brilliant attitude, he’ll do whatever I want him to do and he’s had a perfect preparation.

“Gai and Adrian have been able to give him the two runs, they put him away after the Breeders with the Golden Slipper the main target.

“Everything has gone right thus far and there’s no reason why he won’t be competitive in the Golden Slipper then the Sires’ and Champagne.”

Prost, $34 with TAB after drawing gate 11, is one of six runners for the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott stable and if emergency Espionage gains a start it will equal the record held by John Hawkes who had seven youngsters line up in 2003, with fifth his closest finishing position that year.

The Snitzel colt has had a typical Tulloch Lodge Slipper campaign, debuting with a close third in the Breeders’ Plate behind stablemates Espionage and Straight Charge before returning in February to win the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill.

He did his best to run down Storm Boy in the Skyline, finishing just under 1-1/2 lengths astern, where Hyeronimus said the tempo favoured the winner.

“The slow speed probably didn’t help, we tried to ride him quiet with cover and they didn’t go overly quick,’’ he said.

“Just the sprint home was the difference in the end but he was fantastic, I love the way he raced and how he pulled up and he hasn’t missed a beat since.”

The variable that a lot of the youngsters haven’t faced this season is a soft to heavy track but that’s something Hyeronimus says isn’t an issue for his colt.

“It won’t bother him, he’s been very well grounded by Gai and Adrian since he was a yearling,’’ he said.

“He’s a been on the wet, he’s done everything, all the different tracks, the course proper and the Kenso, and nothing fazes him.”

Sydney Cup hopeful Military Mission has his second run back in the Group 1 $1m Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and Hyeronimus is rapt with how he’s progressing.

The six-year-old had a breakthrough spring winning two Group 2s in Melbourne and the Group 3 Newcastle Cup and he showed he’s in good order with a first-up third under 61kg at Randwick two weeks ago.

“It was a brilliant run first-up with a big weight and he’s improved for the run so I’m looking forward to riding him,’’ Hyeronimus said.

“He’s going fantastic, he feels like he’s going as well if not better than he was in the spring. He’s on a Sydney Cup path and he’s going the right way.”

Military Mission has 55kg in the Group 1 $2m Schweppes Sydney Cup run on April 13.


Prost runs second in the Skyline at Randwick on March 2

Kaizad jumped from a maiden win to take out the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes in Melbourne in the spring and Hyeronimus said he’ll be a horse to keep an eye out for further in to the autumn.

He’s trialled three times in the lead up to the Listed $200,000 Irresistible Pools Darby Munro Stakes (1200m).

“He had a peak performance down in Melbourne,’’ he said.

“He’ll be better once he gets over seven or eight furlongs but I’m looking forward to seeing how he returns.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens

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