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Slipper winner chasing a slice of history in the Golden Rose.
Chris Waller has pulled off many significant training performances during his decorated career, but one of the greatest might come on Saturday if Shinzo can win the Golden Rose.
That might sound silly for a Golden Slipper winner who has been towards the head of Golden Rose betting ever since the market was released, but the son of Snitzel will break new ground if he claims the $1 million event.
The 1400-metre event is yet to be won by a horse having his first run back from a spell since it attained Group 1 status in 2009.
Shinzo has not started since his brilliant win in the Golden Slipper on March 18.
Only four horses have tackled the Golden Rose first-up with Yankee Rose's sixth placing in 2016 the best result.
The other three – King Sabeel (2009), Hinchinbrook (2010) and Bachman (2014) – all finished 12th.
Waller's two Golden Rose winners have come with horses having their second run of the preparation.
Zoustar won it in 2013 off a fourth placing in the Run To The Rose (2013), while The Autumn Sun came off a third placing in the Stan Fox Stakes (1500m).
Just 12 of Waller's 150 Group 1 wins have come with horses resuming from a spell and only seven of those 12 were in races of at least 1400m.
Waller's other runner, Militarize, heads into Saturday's race second-up off a fifth placing in the Run To The Rose, which has been the final lead-up for nine of the 14 Golden Rose winners at Group 1 level.
Cylinder (first), Moravia (second), Nadal (third), Butch Cassidy (fourth), General Salute (sixth), Don Corleone (seventh) and Libertad (eighth) are the others from the Run To The Rose going around on Saturday.
One bringing a different formline is Charm Stone, winner of the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) and Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) at her two runs this campaign, and she too is chasing a little bit of history.
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained daughter of I Am Invincible is the lone filly in the field and will become the first filly to win if successful.
Price and Kent denied In Secret the honour of becoming the first female winner when they produced Jacquinot to nab her on the line last year, leaving her to sit alongside Speak Fondly (2015), Omei Sword (2016) and Champagne Cuddles (2017) as fillies to have run second.
They are among 27 fillies to have run in the Golden Rose since 2009 with fifth placings to Beauty Glow (2010) and Fireburn (2022) the next best results.
Fireburn's effort was also the best result by a Golden Slipper winner in the Golden Rose with Phelan Ready (14th in 2009) and Crystal Lily (11th in 2010) the only others to have run in the Group 1 era.
