They’ve won three Slippers - but why does this one mean the most to Emirates?

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Marhoona (Snitzel) showed incredible toughness to hold off precocious Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Wodeton and salute by 0.14l in the $5 million G1 Golden Slipper.

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And combined with her pedigree – Snitzel her sire – Emirates Park General Manager Bryan Carlson has a naturally-gifted sprinter with plenty of further potential for greatness.

He was quick to talk about Emirates Park’s broodmare and Marhoona's dam Salma (Encosta De Lago) after Saturday’s victory, which was the stud’s third Golden Slipper triumph.

Estijaab (Snitzel) and Mossfun (Mossman) have also won the premier 2-year-old Group 1 feature for the Murrurundi breeding facility, owned by father-and-son combination Nasser and Hussain Lootah.

Gallery: G1 Golden Slipper winners raced by Emirates Park

And Salma now has four stakes winners from five runners, while sadly missing to Extreme Choice, Blue Point and Capitalist in recent years.

The unraced mare’s first foal is Listed Greyville Gatecrasher Stakes winner Trojan Harbour (Harbour Watch {Ire}), her second live foal is Listed Nudgee Stakes winner Salateen (I Am Invincible), and her third foal is G2 Stan Fox Stakes winner and G1 Sires' Produce Stakes-placed and G1 Champagne Stakes-placed Hilal by Fastnet Rock, who stood his first season at New Zealand’s Grangewilliam Stud in 2024.

Salma’s 3-year-old filly Silaaleh (Tassort) is unraced, and Marhoona is now a Group 1 winner from only three starts.

“She (Salma) is just one of those freak mares who keeps producing stakes winners. To have four and a Golden Slipper, it’s outstanding,” Carlson told The Thoroughbred Report.

“She’s unlucky not to have a fifth one in (retired) Salaasel. She showed ability and never got there.”

Carlson said to breed a Slipper winner on Saturday was “probably” the most special of Emirates Park’s three wins in the prestigious sprint. Mossfun and Estijaab were both Inglis Easter Yearling Sale purchases, albeit at vast ends of the spectrum - the former filly was purchased for $85,000, and the latter for $1.8 million.

“She (Salma) is from one of the best families in the stable. It’s a very good female family, and Encosta De Lago is a great broodmare sire,” he said.

Salma is a half-sister to Listed Dulcify Stakes winner Big Time (Danewin) and is a daughter of G3 Fernhill Stakes winner Salameh (Secret Savings {USA}), who in turn is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Al Maher. This is the family of Group 1 winners Redoute’s Choice, Umatilla, Hurricane Sky, Tom Kitten (Harry Angel {Ire}), and so many others.

“To breed a Slipper winner is huge for Hussain and Nasser, and their goal is to breed them.

“To do that is probably more special than the other two. Don’t get me wrong – it’s hard to win a Slipper, but to breed one and win it is even tougher.”

Marhoona’s toughness hailed

After holding off late challenges from Wodeton and $4.80 favourite Tempted (Street Boss {USA}), Marhoona’s trainer Michael Freedman called her a “special filly”.

“When she won at Canterbury at first start, she ripped half a foot off winning that race, and I thought ‘you’re tough’,” he said.

“And she bounced back from it, went to the Reisling a month later, and it’s a bit of an unusual preparation, I guess, going into a Slipper at your third start. But, yeah, she’s a special filly.”

A week ago, Freedman only thought Marhoona had a 50-50 chance of even making it into the Golden Slipper field.

But Carlson’s confidence in her never wavered, and like Freedman he always saw that she had no shortage of courage and a love of competing against some of the nation’s best 2-year-olds.

“She’s been a tough filly in all of her three starts. We knew she had the heart to fight it out if she was there,” he said.

“Everything went perfect – the past few weeks, and this week getting in. That was probably the hardest part – getting into the Slipper.

“And then the barrier draw (drawing barrier six), and it was a perfect ride from Damian (Lane). It all went perfect.”

The lead-up

Carlson had a strong belief that Marhoona was building towards something special after her runner-up result in the G2 Reisling S. for 2-year-old fillies at Randwick on March 8.

On that occasion, she finished 0.33l behind Godolphin filly Tempted.

“If I didn’t think she’d have a chance, I wouldn’t have run her. I thought her last run was very good, and her ratings were very good after her last start when she came second in the Reisling,” Carlson said.

“And so I said to Michael after the Reisling, ‘let’s just hold on here’. I worked out we were roughly 19th (in the Golden Slipper ratings) a couple of weeks straight after the Reisling.

“We said ‘let’s just tick her along and see how we go’. Even up to Tuesday we weren’t sure if we were in until the final field came out.

“But we trained her like we were in, and then it all fell into place with Damian getting the ride, and the barrier.

“It was a perfect ride from Damian.”

Carlson also took plenty of encouragement from the promising trackwork Marhoona put in alongside stablemate Enriched (I Am Invincible).

Tommy Berry guided the 3-year-old colt to second place, finishing 1.93l behind Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) in the Listed Munro S. also at Rosehill on Saturday.

“Going into the race, she (Marhoona) worked very well with Enriched on Tuesday,” Carlson said.

“For Enriched to come out and get second, that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Carlson added that Freedman’s relaxed approach provided the ideal conditions for Marhoona to be competitive in Saturday’s Golden Slipper.

“The Slipper was our main goal, but we let the horses do the talking. We give them every chance. That’s what Michael does, and she just keeps stepping up,” he said.

“She’s always been tough, but she’s been a very nice filly from when she was born. Since Michael’s had her, he’s had an opinion of her.”

Indeed, the sky now appears to be the limit for Marhoona, but again Freedman and Carlson won’t be putting any unnecessary pressure on their gifted filly.

“We’re just going to let the dust settle, and we’ll see where we go over the next week,” Carlson said.

Snitzel, Emirates and Slipper synergy

Carlson also reserved praised for Marhoona’s Champion Sire, Snitzel.

Saturday’s result was Snitzel’s 155th stakes win, and his third Slipper triumph.

Snitzel holds a distinct place in the hearts of all staff at Emirates Park.

“The three Slippers of ours have had Snitzel in them – Estijaab and Marhoona are by Snitzel. And Mossfun’s damsire is Snitzel,” Carlson said.

“He’s a very good sire, and a very potent 2-year-old sire as well. It makes it extra special.”