O'President Scratched, Waller Down to Two

Trainer Chris Waller's chance of securing his first Gr1 Golden Slipper took a blow on Wednesday when the stable reported that due to an elevated temperature, their leading contender O'President (Fastnet Rock) had been withdrawn from the race, leaving jockey Glen Boss without a mount. While many have appreciated the extra week after the postponement of the meeting due to the weather, connections of the Group 2 winner may have wished the race was run last week. The Stable will now rely on Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Shaquero (Shalaa-Fimatino, by Not A Single Doubt) and the Gr2 Sliver Slipper winner Home Affairs (I Am Invincible-Miss Interiors, by Flying Spur), who is owned in similar fashion to O'President. With the Rosehill track currently rated a Heavy 9, drying conditions over the next few days could see the track presented on Saturday in the soft range, appearing to give every horse their chance. While Waller's pair are not considered leading contenders when you look at the market behind the race favourites Profiteer (Capitalist-Athena Lass, by Snitzel) and Stay Inside (Extreme Choice-Nothin Leica Storm, by Anabaa), the unknown factor for many runners will be the track conditions which could see an unexpected result come Saturday afternoon.