Shaquero winning from Tiger Of Malay (Image: Bradley Photos)
Magic Millions Classic winner Shaquero rebounded to his best form seven days before the $3.5 million Group 1 Longines Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) by winning the $175,000 G3 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Shaquero finished sixth of eight starters behind O'President in the G2 Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 27 in what was his first run since winning the Gold Coast sales-restricted feature race.
On Saturday the Shalaa colt settled behind the pace for Kerrin McEvoy and after moving into the lead soon after straightening, held off the swooping runs of Tiger Of Malay ($15) and Mazu ($11), with the latter flashing through along the inside rail.
Ingratiating ($2.80 favourite) settled fifth-last in the 15-horse field and was strong at the finish for fifth while Hilal ($4.20) got too far back from his wide barrier and ran on widest of all without threatening for seventh.
Shaquero is now a $21 chance with Sportbet to win the Golden Slipper over the same course next weekend and winning trainer Chris Waller believes he'll be suited by the quick turnaround, as per his Magic Millions Classic success.
"He needs to be kept up to the mark and he'll be fitter again in seven days," Waller said.
"He'll be even better again next week. He's a really thickset, strong horse and he's had his final gallop today."
Ingratiating's rider Rachel King said the Blue Diamond runner-up was 'massive' in defeat, bemoaning his rearward settling position. Ingratiating is a $13 chance to win next Saturday's Golden Slipper.
Meanwhile Godolphin's Australian head trainer James Cummings prepared his third-consecutive winner of the Magic Night Stakes as Arcaded comfortably won the two-year-old fillies race.
Arcaded ($2.90 favourite) raced up on the pace and was kept going to the line by James McDonald to score by 1.25 lengths, with Robodira ($3.40) and Jamaea ($4.80) sharing second.
Cummings won the race two years ago with Kiamichi, who seven days later won the Golden Slipper, while last year's winner Thermosphere finished 14th behind Slipper winner Farnan.
However, Arcaded is not assured of following those fillies in backing up in the world's richest two-year-old race, with the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 10 proving more appealing to Cummings at this stage.
"I don't know about that, I think we give ourselves the opportunity to weigh up the rating and the strength of the race," Cummings said.
"But realistically if Arcaded was a humble owner's one horse in the stable, most likely the horse would be back out and running.
"She's got professionalism written all over her, there's just not a lot of her and on account of that four weeks into the Percy Sykes would seem like a pretty attractive option given the position of where we are at, at the moment."
Arcaded has won three of four starts, including the G2 Blue Diamond Fillies' Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield last month. Her only defeat came when not getting the best of runs from the inside barrier in the Blue Diamond (1200m), finishing 11th in the 14-horse field.