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By Ray Hickson

She’s found one better in all three starts to date and co-trainer Peter Snowden says if Stellar Pauline is to be a Golden Slipper contender she needs to stand up and be counted at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Peter Snowden (Pic: Steve Hart).

The Magic Millions runner-up needs to win the Group 2 $200,000 Drinkwise Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) to force her way into the field – she’s around 38th in the order of entry so another second won’t cut it.

The same applies to stablemate Aim, the beaten Magic Millions favourite, in the Group 2 $200,000 Schweppes Skyline Stakes (1200m).

“We need to win one,’’ Snowden said.

“I can’t fault Stellar Pauline, she had an easy week when she came back from the Gold Coast and went out to the paddock for five days.

“I thought her trial the other day and her work on Tuesday morning was excellent so she is on track to run well.’’

With three weeks left until the $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill the Snowdens only have Golden Gift winner Dame Giselle safely in the field while King’s Legacy is currently 13th in the order of entry.

Stellar Pauline is one of three fillies from the Snowden yard in the Sweet Embrace, along with Tilia Rose and Close To Me who is dual accepted at Canterbury on Friday night.

She opened $3.60 favourite with TAB on Wednesday and rightly so looking at her form. If there’s a concern in the Snowden camp it’s that it all might be happening a bit too soon for Stellar Pauline.

“The only thing with her is she’s not really ready yet,’’ he said.

“The ability is definitely there but the physical strength hasn’t been there. It’s getting better and she’s better again compared to what she was at the Gold Coast.

“We put the winkers on her last start and she travelled closer to the lead than she has been and she travelled better so I wouldn’t expect her to be too far from the speed.’’

The Snowdens won the Sweet Embrace last year with Anaheed who was also coming off a freshen up after an interstate mission.

Tilia Rose ($10) has been thrown in the deep end at her first start since winning the Max Lees Classic (900m) on debut at Newcastle in November but it’s clear Snowden has some time for her.

“She ran good time and won with authority and was very good through the line,’’ he said.

“She’s only had the one run so it’s up a bit in class for her but she’s not out of it on what we’ve seen.’’

Close To Me hasn’t raced since the Golden Gift, where she ran tenth behind stablemate Dame Giselle, and if she’s going to make a late Slipper bid there only has to be one result at her next start.

“Every time you run you need to be winning or you won’t be getting there,’’ Snowden said.

“Her work has been great and the trials good. We’ve added blinkers to her gear, I really want to get the best out of her first-up to see where we are going with her.

“I think she is up to a good level but how high I’m not sure yet.’’

As for Aim, who lines up in the Skyline alongside stablemate Argenteus, he’s found the winning post twice in his three starts but is around 26th in the order of entry, one of those a four length win over Stellar Pauline, and Snowden is adamant he’s one of the stable’s better two-year-olds.

The colt, $4.80 second favourite behind Prague in the Skyline, had a forgettable trip to the Gold Coast and that’s what Snowden wants to do with the run too.

Stellar Pauline runs second in the Magic Millions on January 11

“The inside was horrendous, we were buried away and couldn’t get out,’’ he said.

“We had no hope of barging the way out so Tommy went back up the inside. Just put a line through that, we never got a lead on him at all.

“Going on his two previous runs they were solid and he hasn’t put a foot wrong since he came back.’’

Argenteus, a $900,000 purchase, defeated Aim to win a barrier trial at Randwick recently and has been kept safe at $7.50.

Snowden said, along the same lines as Tilia Rose, it’s a challenge for the Written Tycoon colt but says he’s well worth the shot.

“It’s a big ask of him but he has got talent,’’ he said.

“His trial was good, he’s a sharp horse but he lacks race experience and that’s against him on Saturday.’’

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's meeting at Royal Randwick