Chayan held no Golden Slipper credentials three months prior.

Co-trainer Annabel Archibald even eyed a paddock spell for the filly, skipping any official trial.

That notion flipped after a basic jump-out, which revolutionised Chayan.

‘She had an unofficial jump-out at Christmas and I said to Eric Koh, her owner, “she will probably just have this jump out and go out” because mentally, she was a little bit hot,’ Archibald recalled.

‘But she jumped out really well and really relaxed after that. She started mentally going the right way.

‘We sent her down to Melbourne and she had those couple of runs there, and I think that has held her in really good stead.’

Her Victorian efforts yielded second in the Blue Diamond Fillies’ Prelude (1100m) and a seventh placing from a poor draw in the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) amid a hard run.

Resuming in Sydney, connections gambled on a Golden Slipper path race.

Chayan powered to a three-length romp in the Reisling Stakes (1200m), clinching her Saturday slot, and from post 12, she’s the outright favourite for the Slipper.

The filly has aced all prep markers per Archibald, including a sharp trackwork hit-out on Tuesday.

‘I couldn’t be any happier with her. She started her campaign off in Melbourne and didn’t have much luck with the draws down there, but ran really well,’ she said.

‘It was pleasing to see her come up here and put it all together. All of the ratings guys said she ran really good time, and the figures were good, and that’s all we can ask for as a last start heading into this race.’

Slipper campaigns are known to Archibald, who entered perfect Learning To Fly in 2023 at $6.50 in what she dubbed a ‘character-building’ tilt after a pre-straight stumble unseated Chad Schofield.

This time, Schofield rides rival Stretan Ruler for Phillip Stokes, fresh off a stirring Silver Slipper (1100m) win and eye-catching close for second in the front-runners’ Todman Stakes (1200m).

Schofield, on for recent starts, sees potential.

‘I just think he wants tempo,’ Schofield said.

‘In the Silver Slipper, we got tempo. It was free-flowing, and he unlocked that devastating turn of foot.

‘The other day in the Todman, it was just a trot and canter and a dash home for three hundred metres. He was still really good, but if we get a solidly run 1200 metres, which the Slipper generally is, we will see the best of him. And I think the best of him is going to be hard to beat.’

Visit online bookmakers to find the top Golden Slipper markets.

Paul Wight is still very much a part of AEW despite his absence. At the same time, he is taking care of his health and provided an update on the same.

The World’s Largest Athlete gained prominence as ‘The Giant’ in WCW and ‘The Big Show’ for his lengthy tenure in WWE. However, Wight jumped ship to All Elite Wrestling in 2021, primarily serving as a commentator, and has wrestled on a few occasions. His last match in AEW was in November 2023, and Wight made his appearance on Collision in January 2026.

On the other hand, Paul Wight took to Instagram to share a video of himself doing a leg workout. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion revealed that he underwent knee and hip replacement surgery and was making great progress in his recovery.

“Making great progress! Two knees two hips replaced better than yesterday. #fitnessjourney #suckitupbuttercup😎💪❤️ #legday.”

Paul Wight on if he has retired from in-ring competition

AEW legend Paul Wight has been an icon in professional wrestling, having competed in the ring for almost two decades. Fans had questioned whether he would retire from in-ring action after not having a match for more than two years.

This led the former Intercontinental Champion to say he wanted to retire on his own terms and looked forward to returning to the ring once after making some recovery.

“The last thing I’m gonna do is go out in that ring and have people go, ‘aww, poor Paul. They should just kill him, like Old Yeller or something.’ We’re not gonna have that. If I’m not out there humping and bumping and getting after everything and slapping people’s souls out of their chest… then it’s time to hang up the boots. We’re still moving forward, there’s progress being made. Everything I’m dealing with now is mostly soft tissue, getting that stuff to work… we’ll get that back and we’ll be in the ring,” he said.

With the WWE legend not being done as an in-ring competitor, it remains to be seen what he would actually wrestle in AEW.