Danny O’Brien one step Closer To racing Grand Slam
Melbourne trainer guns for rare Australian Big 4 with late entry
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Trainer Danny O'Brien celebrating Vow And Declare's Melbourne Cup win with jockey Craig Williams in 2019. The Melbourne trainer has not claimed a major success since and will now attempt to notch the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1,200m) with Closer To Free at Rosehill on March 21.
PHOTO: RACING PHOTOS
SYDNEY – Danny O’Brien will be chasing entry to an esteemed club when Closer To Free runs in the Golden Slipper (1,200m) on March 21.
Victory in the A$5 million (S$4.48 million) Group 1 at Rosehill would see the Melbourne trainer complete the Grand Slam of Australian racing.
Chris Waller is the only trainer operating in Australia who has won the Golden Slipper, Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.
The only other active trainer to have achieved the feat is David Hayes, who is now based in Hong Kong.
Former Kranji-based trainer Lee Freedman is the only other living person to have won all four races with Bart Cummings, Tommy Smith, Colin Hayes, Jack Denham and Maurice McCarten the others to have done it.
All eight to have achieved the feat are a part of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and O’Brien is excited to have his best shot yet at winning the world’s richest juvenile race.
“You don’t get many opportunities in a Slipper, because you’ve got to have the right horse,” said O’Brien. “We haven’t had that many of them, so it’d be fantastic if we could tick that last box.”
O’Brien has not had a Golden Slipper runner since he completed the Melbourne set of the Grand Slam, with Vow And Declare in the 2019 Melbourne Cup.
His Caulfield Cup win came with Master O’Reilly in 2007, while he won the 2013 Cox Plate with Shamus Award.
In fact, O’Brien’s only involvement in a Golden Slipper came in 2011 when Running Tall ran 11th as a 40-1 chance in the edition won by Sepoy.
For the first half of this season, O’Brien probably thought he was again going to be a spectator in 2026, as it was not until early February that Closer To Free entered his barn.
An A$60,000 buy at the 2025 Inglis Classic Sale, the son of Street Boss started his career with Wangaratta trainer Adrian Corboy, only joining O’Brien after Sean Buckley bought him following an impressive trial win at Caulfield on Jan 29.
He was not even among the entries for the Golden Slipper but secured a start after connections paid a A$150,000 late entry fee on March 16.
Closer To Free was one of three late entries for this year’s race, joined by March 14 winners Pembrey in the Magic Night Stakes and Music Time in the Black Opal Stakes, both Group 3 events over 1,200m.
Closer To Free earned his crack at the Slipper after a narrow second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1,200m) on Feb 21, which followed victory in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1,100m) on debut on Feb 7.
He has not raced since the Blue Diamond, but has been in Sydney since early March and impressively won a Rosehill trial (1,030m) on March 10.
Jamie Melham, who will ride Closer To Free on Saturday, was aboard in that trial and O’Brien has been delighted with the way the colt has adapted to life in Sydney.
“He travelled up well, he’s settled well, he trialled well and he’s a very straightforward colt,” he said.
“Nothing seems to bother him. Everything he does, he just takes in his stride. He’s got a great attitude.
“Jamie jumped on him for the first time the other morning and she was very impressed with him.
“We just need, hopefully, a nice enough barrier and we’ll see what the weather does, but there’s not too many boxes left to tick with him. He’s ready to go.”
The Golden Slipper field will be finalised at the barrier draw on March 17 with Closer To Free a 10-1 chance in all-in betting.
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