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By Ray Hickson

Redemption day for beaten Golden Slipper favourite Storm Boy arrives at Randwick on Saturday and co-trainer Adrian Bott says the Group 1 $1m Inglis Sires (1400m) is far from an afterthought.

Trainer Adrian Bott. (Pic: Bradley Photos).

It’s easy to forget after his Skyline win that Bott outlined plans to contest the two-year-old Triple Crown and he said since the Slipper the high profile colt has come through the race well.

Storm Boy is one of four youngsters from the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott yard contesting the Sires’, including the Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot, and one of six horses backing up from the $5 million classic.

“We always felt he had the potential to be able to train on,’’ Bott said.

“If we felt he went backwards off the Slipper we could have made that call but the intention was always to continue through the Triple Crown and I don’t see why we shouldn’t continue on that path with him.

“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.

“I think it sets up as better conditions for him, the 1400m will suit and I don’t mind the draw for him.”

There’s been a lot said about the impact of Storm Boy’s slow start in the Slipper and the fact that was exacerbated by drawing an inside barrier as he need to be hunted by Ryan Moore to hold a position.

That won’t be the case in the Sires’, where the colt was $2.50 favourite with TAB on Thursday, with barrier eight in a 10 horse field.

James McDonald is back on board this weekend and while we’ll never know if Storm Boy would have won the Slipper, Bott said that tardy start didn’t help his cause.

“With any horse it’s significant in that race, it’s such a high pressure race and that tactical speed and positioning early is so crucial,’’ he said.

“That’s what makes it such a tough race to win. It’s not easy to recover from that sort of spot for his pattern.”

All honours went to Lady Of Camelot for her Slipper win and Bott said it was a testament to her toughness that she was able to fight back after being headed by the runner-up Coleman.

“She was able to get a nice position in the race and when Coleman went past her Blake (Shinn) was still riding her patiently and waiting for the runs to come and thankfully they did,’’ he said.

“She was very tough. We felt she was the quality of filly that could win us a Blue Diamond and she certainly came close.

“And obviously she was able to bring that performance back to Sydney.”

The big unknown about most of the youngsters is the potential for a heavy track and how they’ll handle that given most of their racing has been on good ground.

Bott said he simply doesn’t know with Lady Of Camelot.

“It's hard to tell with two-year-olds who have had limited exposure, we’ve seen how capable she is on a good track. It’s difficult to know without having placed her in that scenario,’’ he said.

One of the hard luck stories of the Slipper was another of the Waterhouse/Bott runners in Prost who only beat three home after running out of room in the straight.

Prior to that he’d chased Storm Boy home in the Skyline and Bott said it’s best to overlook the Slipper run.

“I think the run was better than what it reads and he will appreciate the 1400m, I don’t think he will mind the sting out of the ground,’’ he said.

And Anode is set to back up after his gallant second in the Baillieu last weekend, just touched off by Linebacker, with the thought that the quick turnaround and experience at the trip will stand him in good stead for a testing track.

Lady Of Camelot wins the Slipper with Storm Boy third

“He came through that race so well it always left it open as a potential path for him,’’ Bott said.

“They ran good time over the 1400m so if it is a testing track maybe things falls his way a little in the sense he’s had a nice strong lead up.”

Adrian Bott on Ganbare (race 9): "He’s a class horse and bringing through the right form. He was excellent in the Rosehill Guineas and I think he is only going to appreciate getting out to the Derby trip, drawn well, he’s ready to run a peak for us."

On Adagio (race 9): “He has the benefit of wet track experience and he’s had a good grounding at the provincial and country circuit. He’s had a few good runs over 2000m so while he’s not bringing the class of some of the others he’s got the conditioning for it.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 1 of The Star Championships at Randwick