One-time Golden Slipper favourite De Lightning Ridge will start at Canterbury

Tag : Slipper Board

The Keith Dryden-trained two-year-old was also entered for a raceat Canberra on Friday. But the trainer said the filly would bypassa start at her home track and instead go to Canterbury, where shehad topweight of 58kg in a 1200m race.
''I thought she'd get a weight like that and she'll go to townnow,'' Dryden said yesterday.
Regular jockey Kevin Sweeney will partner the Tale Of The Cat fillyon the weekend.
''I would have put an apprentice on if the handicapper had given usmore weight but Kevin will ride now and that's good because heknows the horse well after riding her in every start,'' Drydensaid.
De Lightning Ridge galloped over 600m on the synthetic Acton trackyesterday with Sweeney on board and Dryden was pleased with theeffort.
The Tale Of The Cat filly was sidelined with shin-soreness aftershe was a beaten favourite in the Black Opal Stakes where she ranthird to Sarthemare.
Dryden said De Lightning Ridge also strained a muscle under herchest when she jumped out of the barriers in the Black Opal.
The main goal for De Lightning Ridge is the $1million Golden Rose(1400m) at Rosehill on August 30.
''I don't expect her to be 100 per cent first-up and I don't wanther to be because we've got a long campaign ahead of us and I wantto have her right for the Golden Rose,'' Dryden said.
De Lightning Ridge burst into Golden Slipper favouritism after her612-length debut win at Canberra in December last year.
But she fell out of favour following her 412-length win at the sametrack a couple of months later after critics questioned the qualityof the opposition, and the emergence of eventual Slipper winnerSebring. AAP