Crown
Jester racehorse Slipper Trial winner
Racehorse
Crown Jester was foaled in 1978 and was by Baguette
out of Anjudy.
From
7 starts he had 6 wins and won stakes of $50850.
Main
wins came from the Todman
Stakes and was sent out a red hot "unbeatable"
favourite in the Golden Slipper but was beaten by Full
On Aces.
At
stud he threw Rory's
Jester who won the Golden
Slipper in 1985.
This report was first published
in the Canberra Times on the
morning of Crown Jester's win in the Golden Slipper
Boom colt Crown Jester will be trying
to emulate his sire, Baguette, when he contests the $250,000 Golden
Slipper Stakes over 1,200m at Rosehill today. Baguette
went into the 1970 Slipper unbeaten and came out of it with his crown
intact and- his two year-old son Crown Jester will be trying to do
the same after scoring five wins.
Five other youngsters have gone on to
win the Slipper after being undefeated, Todman in the first running
of the race in 1957, Sky High (I960), Vain
(1969), John's Hope (1972) and Toy Show (1975).Jack
and Bob Ingham, who hold major shares in Crown Jester, certainly have
everything going for them" in an attempt to score a record three
wins in the event.
The millionaire businessmen brothers
won the race in 1967 with Sweet Embrace and five years later with
John's Hope, who they owned with John and Lloyd Foyster, who have
recently bought into Crown Jester. And
Baguette is one of only two stallions to have won the race and sired
winners of the rich event.
Baguette's daughter Dark Eclipse won
the Slipper last year giving trainer Neville Begg his first success
in the race and Todman sired Eskimo Prince, the 1964 winner and Sweet
Embrace. Crown Jester goes into
the race with a $2 million valuation on him as the Inghams sold a
quarter share in him recently.
The colt will race in the Slipper for
the first time under the "Crown Jester syndicate" as 10
racing people have paid $50,000 each for a share. The
inghams retained 30 shares but sold the other 10 to John Bradshaw,
the owner of Shaybisc, Bruce McHugh, Mike Willesee, George Diamond,
Bob Lapointe, Evan Sperling, Don Storey and the Foyster brothers,
John, Mark and Lloyd.
Crown Jester, who has thrilled Sydney
racegoers with his powerful galloping style, is prepared at Rosehill
by Vic Thompson, jun, and at 32 years of age appears to have a great
chance of becoming the youngest trainer to win a Slipper.The
concensus of most trainers is that Crown Jester will be the hardest
to beat, an opinion, not surprisingly held by Thompson.
"I am more than happy with my horse's
condition but have been a little inconvenienced by the wet tracks
this week in giving him his final preparation", Thompson
said.
The trainer will be hoping there is plenty
of speed on all the way as he said that will suit his horse best."It's
hard to say how the race will be run though as
the barrier draw has certainly opened it up a lot",he
said.
"But I'm quite happy with my barrier
draw of 11". Crown Jester has the record books against him as
only three winners of the race have come from wider than barrier 10.
They were John's Hope from 14. Tontonan, 12 and Toy Show 15.
Thompson rates Allez Show as his biggest
danger. "I've been watching her closely at the track this week
and she has done everything right", he said.Allez
Show, by Comerani, has only been beaten once in five starts and is
raced by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Jones, of RMC, Duntroon, and his
wife.
Whereas 21 -year-old Mark De Montfort,
the rider of Crown Jester, has already had experience in the Slipper,
20-year-old apprentice Graham Robson (Black Shoes) and 24-year-old
Geoff Allendorf (Allez Show) will be having their first ride in the
race.Allendorf, who has ridden
62 city winners, was set to have his first Slipper ride on the Ramsey-trained
Nassau last year but the week before the race broke a
collarbone in a track fall.
Only three jockeys riding in the Slipper
have won the race before. Pat Hyland, riding Lead Role, won on Vain,
Wayne Harris (Food For Love) scored on Dark Eclipse and John Duggan
(landra Lad) won on Vivarchi.
