Williams after second Golden Slipper win

Wednesday 15 March 2017, 4:53pm

Craig Williams has his sights on a second Golden Slipper with a filly he has compared to the horse who gave him his only win so far in the world's richest race for two-year-olds.

Williams won the 2006 Slipper on Miss Finland and on Saturday rides Catchy in the $3.5 million race at Rosehill.

Catchy has risen to every challenge and takes an unbeaten record into Saturday from four starts, including an impressive Group One Blue Diamond Stakes win.

She will race in the right-handed direction for the first time on a wet track.

"It was unfair to do it to a horse because it's a lot of pressure on her and obviously the (Lindsay Park) stable," Williams said of his early comparison to Miss Finland.

But he said when Catchy walked in before he trialled her the first time, she didn't look like a two-year-old filly.

"She's just big, strong, and has also got the smarts to go with it," he said.

"She's very intelligent and it's like she's been here before.

"You could see in the Blue Diamond, anything I wanted to do with her she was very responsive.

"That's why, yes it's not ideal to go straight into the Golden Slipper first time right-handed but she's smart enough and adaptable enough I believe to be able to overcome that."

Williams is happy enough to have drawn barrier eight although he said he would have liked to have drawn even lower and closer to Blue Diamond runner-up Pariah who he believes would be a good horse to follow.

Rosehill was rated in the heavy range on Wednesday and Williams said that was an unknown for Catchy.

"It is a big question mark," he said.

"But one thing I know about her is that she'll still try and still give her best.

"She doesn't know anything else but to stick her head out in front and win these fights and win these races.

"If you want to go to war with a horse, she's the horse you want to go to war with."

If the emergencies come out, Catchy will start from gate seven, the same as Miss Finland when she won by 4-1/2 lengths after a rails-hugging Williams ride.

"If she has that type of performance it won't matter what I do on her," Williams said.

Williams has gone close to a second Slipper win having finished second three times.

"I've got one Slipper at home. I've got the left one. I now need the right one," he said.

– AAP

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