Empire Maker (USA)

Well-fancied on debut when finishing down the track in the Listed ATC Lonhro Plate, 2yo Snitzel colt Campione D'Italia started at outsider odds in the G2 ATC Skyline Stakes (1200m), but proved too strong, holding off stablemate Central Europe (Frankel) to secure a start in the G1 ATC Golden Slipper.

The Blue Diamond might have been run and won in Melbourne, but in Sydney the road to the Golden Slipper is on a fast track and there were three new stakes-winners on Saturday that are all entered for the world’s richest 2YO race.