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By Ray Hickson

The promise of a truly run Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday gives co-trainer Paul Snowden plenty of heart for the chances of the stable’s three colts – King’s Gambit, Don Corleone and Empire Of Japan.

Trainer Paul Snowden (Pic: Grant Guy)

It’s widely expected the speed will be on with designated leader Red Resistance jumping from the outside gate and that’s something a colt like King’s Gambit has sorely missed as he’s met with defeat in his two lead up runs to the Group 1 $5 million Longines Golden Slipper (1200m).

We’ve already seen Don Corleone relish the pressure of a Blue Diamond and rush home into a close second while impressive Breeders’ Plate winner Empire Of Japan will benefit from a much needed run two weeks ago.

“I haven’t seen a slowly run Slipper yet and I dare say it won’t be on Saturday,’’ Snowden said.

“Tempo is the key to a lot of runners and it’s going to be who can absorb the pressure and who can’t and who can respond off the back of it.

“It probably suits the three colts we have more than anything and hopefully they get the conditions to suit.”

All three colts won on debut but have been beaten in each subsequent start.

Snowden said King’s Gambit, who was an early Slipper favourite on the back of his five length debut win, has not appreciated racing in small fields so elected not to contest the Todman Stakes, where he would have faced just five rivals, and gave him a ‘kill’ in a barrier trial.

His win under Mark Zahra there was the very definition of visually impressive and Snowden said he relished it.

“Once we did our homework and due diligence about King’s Gambit and where he sat against things that was the option we took,’’ he said.

“We didn’t have to have to take him to another start in a five horse field that wasn’t suitable.

“He can utilise a draw, he can stalk a hot tempo and use that turn of foot late which we saw recently and the turn of foot is electric.”

It’s not obvious to the eye but King’s Gambit actually ran the fastest last 600m in the Group 2 Silver Slipper (1100m) a month ago – he clocked 32.80 (Punter's Intelligence) in running third – and was beaten less than a length.

He started a $2.50 favourite in that race, he was $9 with TAB in the Slipper on Thursday. It’s not unlike Peter and Paul Snowden’s 2016 Slipper winner Capitalist who lost favouritism with defeat in the lead up but got the job done on the big day.

“He’s been flying under the radar without winning because his sectionals are the quickest of the races he’s competed in,’’ Snowden said.

“So you know he’s as good as the winners we just haven’t been afforded the opportunity to run to his best but the tempo will be there on Saturday.”

Don Corleone, with Hugh Bowman chasing his second Slipper, emerged as a contender with his debut win in January but lost some favour when beaten into fourth placing in the Pierro Plate.

But his eye-catching Blue Diamond second placing saw him roar back into contention, he was $10 with TAB on Thursday, and Snowden said he’ll naturally need a bit of luck but has proven he’s up to the task.

“If he got out earlier I think he still wins and wins well,’’ he said.

“It’s only a short run to the first corner and he’s going to be in the second half providing there is good speed and he’s one that can go through his gears late if he’s afforded that opportunity.”

Is Empire Of Japan over the odds at $81? Snowden said he didn’t have the ideal lead up to his fourth placing in the Todman Stakes, his first run since the Magic Millions, behind Cylinder and will strip a much fitter horse.

King's Gambit's trial win on March 7

“Off the back of a freshen he got held up in a 740m trial, believe it or not, and got out and brushed home two furlongs,’’ Snowden said.

“He was always going to improve off the back of that run at Randwick and that’s what he needed to have to get him back into fitness for a Slipper on Saturday.”

What Snowden would say about all three horses is their week leading up to the Slipper couldn’t have been scripted any better.

The stable has made an effort to keep them apart, pairing them up with different stablemates for their work during the week, and he said that appears to have been a masterstroke.

“We wanted to get the work right and pairing them up against each other was not the right way to approach it,’’ he said.

“You wouldn’t believe there were hundredths of seconds between all their work. We’ve never had, going into a major race, horses that have worked so perfectly and so precise. It was really pleasing.”

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