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By Ray Hickson

If you’d told Gary Portelli at the start of the season that he’d have two youngsters in the $5 million Longines Golden Slipper he’d have been pleased but not overly surprised.

If you’d told him Sejardan would be one, that would have been a given. But Fireburn, not so much.

Trainer Gary Portelli (Pic: Steve Hart)

Of the seven two-year-olds he bought Portelli always held Sejardan in high regard but in the fillies department Fireburn wasn’t really on the radar and another filly Snitcat probably held top spot above them all.

As it’s turned out Snitcat has a Magic Millions placing to her name but is in the paddock, Sejardan lived up to Portelli’s expectation and Fireburn has caught him by surprise.

“We definitely expected it of him, and Snitcat was actually doing more than him in trackwork,’’ Portelli said.

“We wouldn’t have been thinking we had the favourites but were certainly hoping we had good enough horses to have a crack at it.

“We bought seven and trialled five, here we are running third in a Magic Millions with Snitcat and the colt second favourite for the Slipper. Fireburn has been one that’s just got better and better.”

Sejardan is aiming to be the ninth Breeders’ Plate winner to train on and win the Slipper, the last being Capitalist in 2016, and Portelli has had the luxury of being able to plan out his preparation to Saturday’s race to the minute.

That’s courtesy of his win in the $1 million Golden Gift in November.

He lost his unbeaten record in the Inglis Millennium, but no admirers, running third behind Xtravagant Star but was back on top surging through a heavy track to claim the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) two weeks ago.

“The Millennium was a run we could have because we were already qualified, hoping to pick up a decent cheque but it didn’t pan out,’’ he said.

“He came out and won the Todman well, it’s a great form line into the Slipper as a rule.

“He hasn’t won by a margin, he’s just been doing what he has to do. He’s been gobbling them with 100m to go, he sees what he has to catch and he catches them.

“Although the colts this year haven’t been dominant I’m hoping on the day, in a high pressure race, he has the ability to finish over the top of them.”

Portelli is already a Golden Slipper winning trainer, courtesy of She Will Reign in 2017, and he said Sejardan showed in his trackwork on Tuesday morning that he’s right where the trainer wants him.

Because of the heavy track run two weeks ago, and the likelihood that Rosehill will be wet but probably not as testing, he’s needed to keep some sharpness in the colt’s legs.

“His fitness levels are good, we gave him an 800m gallop on Tuesday morning with Fireburn and we had a heart monitor on him,’’ he said.

“It said his heart rate dropped fairly close to resting heart rate when he pulled up so that means his fitness levels are good and stress levels are low.

“When he came back he wouldn’t blow a candle out and the rider said he felt enormous.”

Jason Collett rides Sejardan, $6.50 with TAB on Thursday, having decided to stick with the colt despite having a two from two record on stablemate Fireburn. Brenton Avdulla picked up the ride on the filly.

The Warwick Farm trainer said there wasn’t anything eye-catching about Fireburn in the early days and it wasn’t until her second trial that she showed something of the turn of foot that has taken her to three wins from four starts.

The Rebel Dane filly, $12 with TAB on Thursday, holds a win over Blue Diamond runner-up Revolutionary Miss and last week’s Magic Night winner She’s Extreme among those four starts and that tells Portelli she has to be a big chance.

“Sometimes people are looking for something they haven’t seen yet. That’s what’s been interesting going into this year’s Slipper,’’ he said.

Sejardan wins the Todman Stakes at Randwick

“I can’t believe people haven’t seen what’s in black and white. She’s beaten a Group 1 placegetter fair and square and then beat Anthony Cummings’ horse and I thought we made our runs together at Randwick and put three lengths on it when they straightened.

“She’s kept going to the next level and she reminds me so much of dad. She’s a beautiful filly and she matched motors with Sejardan in the gallop.”

The ever humble trainer, who recently posted on social media that you’re a 'rooster one minute and a feather duster the next', says it’s great to have two runners in a maiden at Orange let alone a Slipper.

But as he looks at his two-year-old duo he can’t help but think a second Slipper trophy is well within his reach.

“The stuff we’ve got control of, I think we’re in a very good spot. This is just going to plan. The horses are peaking on the right week,’’ he said.

“We’re getting the weather we need, it feels surreal.”

All the entries, form and replays for Saturday's Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill