Beadman To Ride Real Saga In Todman
  Story By Alex Steedman      


Monday, 16 March 2009: Darren Beadman will ride Real Saga in Saturday's Todman Stakes which means the star jockey rides the top two Golden Slipper favourites this weekend with filly More Joyous his mount in the Reisling Stakes.

Darren Beadman
Photo by Racing and Sports  




The Hawkes stable announced today their Blue Diamond runner-up Real Saga would be ridden by the champion jockey in Saturday's Group 2 event.

Real Saga comfortably won the $125,000 Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) two starts back at Caulfield on February 8 which all but confirms the Hawkes-trained two-year-old of a start in the $3.5million AAMI Golden Slipper (1200m).

While Real Saga is a certain starter in the Golden Slipper on April 4, it is not the case for Beadman's ride More Joyous in the fillies Reisling Stakes on Saturday.

The promising filly who won by 5.5 lengths on debut needs to either win or finish second in the Reisling Stakes to confirm a Slipper start after she failed to finish in the Silver Slipper Stakes on February 28 when she buckjumped badly at the start.

Beadman rode the More Than Ready filly in a trial at Randwick on March 13 where the Gai Waterhouse-trained two-year-old trialled to the satisfaction of stewards.

Despite her disrupted campaign, More Joyous is still a $4.50 favourite for the Golden Slipper while Real Saga is the second favourite at $6.50.