Victorian bred two year-old Capitalist is the ruling favourite for the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes next month and his sire Written Tycoon will take centre-stage with a large draft of yearlings at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale in a fortnight.

Capitalist is unbeaten following hollow wins at Randwick, Wyong and the Gold Coast.  “He’s one of the most gifted two-year-olds I’ve worked with,” trainer Peter Snowden said.  “He’s very exciting and is a horse to look forward to in the future.

“I was lucky to have Sepoy and he was probably one of our best two-year-olds in the last 20 years,” Snowden said.  “Capitalist has got gears and goes through them well.  He’s not an aggressive horse so you can use him and then relax.”

Snowden will give him a final hit-out for the Golden Slipper in the G2 Todman Stakes on March 5.  Vancouver completed the double last year and the TAB has the good-looking chestnut a clear-cut favourite for the $3.50 million event.

He cost $165,000 as yearling sale and has already banked $1.42 million.

Jockey Blake Shinn compares him to Sebring who won the 2008 Golden Slipper.  “Sebring was close to my heart.  He did it all.  This horse is making the right steps and is well on his way.  Sebring had the scope up to a mile and could have been anything, this horse is very sharp and has got the class.”

Written Tycoon stands at Woodside Park in Tylden and is having a career-defining season sitting in second-place in the Australian winners’ premiership.  He’s also on top of the Australian juvenile sires’ premiership and will lock up the title if Capitalist wins the Golden Slipper on March 19.

Apart from Capitalist, he has sired stakes winners the calibre of Howmuchdoyouloveme (Takeover Target St), It Is Written (Abell St), Tycoon Tara (Belmaine St), Vibrant Rouge (Vamos St) & Written Dash (Typhoon Tracy St) in the last twelve months.  And his brilliant sprinter Rich Enuff, who was beaten two short-heads first-up in the G3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday, will join the Woodside Park roster later this year.

Written Tycoon has a crop over 100 yearlings this season and there are 21 of them entered for the Melbourne Premier Sale.  He enjoyed a ground-breaking Inglis Sydney Classic Sale with a personal-best of $305,000 for the striking colt from Zals.

NZ agent Michael Wallace bought him for China Horse Club in conjunction with American-based Winstar Farm.  “He’s by a stallion that we’re really fond of and he’s a great-looking horse,” said Wallace.  “We hope to see him in some early races.”

Woodside Park also set a high-water mark at the Gold Coast Magic Millions in January when its All Too Hard – Factor Of Safety filly made $510,000.

CAPITALIST