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By Ray Hickson

Gary Portelli might have to think twice about who his number one Golden Slipper seed is after Fireburn raced her way into next month’s two-year-old classic with an impressive win in tough conditions at Randwick.

Trainer Gary Portelli (Pic: Steve Hart)

Breeders’ Plate and Golden Gift winner Sejardan was always thought to be Portelli’s best chance of a second Golden Slipper but he’s warming to the unassuming filly Fireburn who seems to get better every time she comes to the races.

Fireburn will attempt to be first filly since Crystal Lily in 2010 to take the Slipper after winning the Group 2 $200,000 Furphy Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m). And she’s now a $15 chance with TAB.

“She has come from being beaten at Warwick Farm to winning a Saturday, another Saturday and now a Group race. Phenomenal,’’ Portelli said.

“Thanks very much to (managing owner) Louis Mihalyka for the opportunity to train this filly by the stallion that means so much to me.”

That stallion is Rebel Dane, who Portelli trained to two Group 1 wins, and the trainer can see so much of him in Fireburn.

“She is a machine, just like the stallion. She is him in a filly’s body,’’ he said.

“She’s such a beautiful filly, she’s got that presence about her, a beautiful head. She can gallop. She does things good horses have to do, a clip down the shoulder and it’s all over.”

Portelli, who won the 2017 Slipper with She Will Reign, said Sejardan will tackle next Saturday’s Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) as his final lead up to the Slipper having run third in the Inglis Millennium earlier this month.

He completed an exhibition gallop between races at Canterbury on Friday night and that gave him cause to be confident he’ll handle whatever track condition is thrown up at Randwick on March 5.

“The forecast is looking like we’re probably going to get a soft track no matter what,’’ he said.

“I was glad to see Sejardan gallop so well on the heavy track last night, he will go to the Todman next weekend and hopefully he will do what she just did and we go to the races double nervous.”

Fireburn handled the heavy ground with ease and Jason Collett eased her down near the line to score by ¾ lengths over She’s Extreme while favourite Lady Laguna held third 2-3/4 lengths away. Inglis Millennium winner Xtravagant Star clearly didn’t handle the ground and weakened after leading.

Collett may have some thinking to do when it comes to his Slipper ride after the filly completed her hat-trick.

“When she put the two together early in the prep she showed it then, and just the way she attacked the line each time she was strong through it, her last furlong was generally the best,’’ Collett said.

“She’s beaten a couple of handy horses here, she’s taken a step up again, wet tracks I think are going to be around for the autumn and I don’t think they are going to be an issue. Even further could be the go.”

Fireburn wins the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick

What the beaten jockeys said:

Josh Parr (She's Extreme): “Terrific effort. Forced around a tiring one on the bend. It probably cost us.”

Hugh Bowman (Lady Laguna): “I thought her concentration wasn’t quite where it needs to be for a filly going for the races she’s going towards. I was satisfied with her but she needs to focus a bit better.”

Glyn Schofield (Troach): “Travelled well but keenly for the first half of the race and then flattened out late.”

Chad Schofield (Xtravagant Star): “Didn’t like the ground.”

Tim Clark (Trendy Lass): “Just didn’t like that ground at all.”

William Pike (Dame Cartland): “Just never comfortable in the ground.”

Nash Rawiller (Miss Faberge): “She was really good. She was never comfortable in the run on the ground. She picked herself up and worked her way into it. Good run.”

Brenton Avdulla (Fun Sunday): “She was OK. Probably found the ground a bit too deep first up but nice filly going forward.”

All the results and replays from Randwick on Saturday