In the wake of star hoop James McDonald etching his name into Australian racing legendry mere hours prior, promising 22-year-old Zac Lloyd burst onto the scene as a top emerging force courtesy of a dazzling success aboard Great House in the $5 million Golden Slipper.

With rivals forming a blockade halfway into the straight, the young pilot on Great House kept his composure to weave through and propel the colt to dominance in a powerful finish.

This marked the first Victorian-bred triumph since Crystal Lily’s 2010 achievement, as Great House ($11) edged clear by 1-1/2 lengths over Blue Diamond Stakes champ Streisand ($7.50), followed by gallant Canberra runner Music Time ($1) in third, another half-length behind.

When Lloyd tailed McDonald’s Fireball mid-race, he recognized his prime positioning.

“I got on the back of the best jockey in the world, and I thought, here we go,” Lloyd said.

“I was just waiting for a run but geez, he let down so well. I’m so pleased for the big ownership group, and for (trainers) Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, and Ben Elam who works here in Sydney.”

Last year’s inaugural Golden Slipper ride ended without placing on King Of Pop, rendering him “speechless” for this second crack at the richest juvenile race globally.

Having dominated Sydney apprenticeships in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Lloyd thanked his family, particularly father Jeff Lloyd, the ex-jockey, for his development.

“My dad is probably balling his eyes out. He is quite an emotional man,” Lloyd said.

“But I wouldn’t be half the rider I am without him, and I wouldn’t be a quarter of the person I am without my mum and my dad. And to my brother (fellow jockey) Jaden, he’s going to be the happiest person on planet earth.”

Trainers savored their debut Slipper after seconds in colts/gelding Blue Diamond Prelude and elite Blue Diamond Stakes.

Price’s earlier near-misses included Samaready (2012) and Flying Artie (2016) independently, prompting Kent Jnr’s elation at partnering for the win.

“It’s so right for Mick. I’m so lucky I work with Mick. He’s had so many close calls in this race. He’s a great two-year-old trainer,” Kent Jnr said.

“And what a horse. He won by a big margin, going away, so fantastic.”

Streisand’s jockey Ben Melham called her runner-up effort “super gallant”, matched by Pierre Boudvillain’s pride in Music Time.

“Very proud of the horse the whole country team,” Boudvillain said.

Favourite Chayan at $5.50 faded to eighth, with Craig Williams citing her preparation’s end.

“She didn’t run up to her form, unfortunately,” Williams said.

Visit online bookmakers to find the latest Golden Slipper betting options.

Dubai Honour’s playful behaviour on the training track typically foreshadows a stellar race effort, and Isabella Paul detects all positive cues before the British horse’s Tancred Stakes challenge.

For this year’s autumn in Sydney, it’s the eight-year-old’s third appearance, with Paul, who joins William Haggas’ Dubai Honour on all journeys, assured of his current top condition.

This is evidenced by his fresh form: Group 1 third to Goliath in German racing last September, Listed victory in England soon after, and UK second carrying 64kg in December.

“I’m really happy with where he is. He is being a bit of a pain on the track, and that generally means he is in pretty good order,” Paul said.

“He’s in great form. He actually came down here a little bit heavy, and he has tightened up nicely in the last week or so.

“They did a good bit of work last week, and they will have a little stretch tomorrow (Wednesday).”

Tuesday morning saw Dubai Honour and stable companion Caviar Heights gallop at Canterbury, marking the end of quarantine protocols.

The eight-year-old Dubai Honour pursues back-to-back Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) wins on Saturday, replicating his defeat of Duke De Sessa and Vauban from last year, while stablemate Caviar Heights bows in Australia in Group 3 Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m).

According to Paul, Tom Marquand, Dubai Honour’s rider for three of four Aussie runs, lands Thursday but passes on mounting the Haggas duo before Saturday.

“Probably not, to be honest,” Paul said.

“He came and had a sit on Caviar Heights when we were in quarantine in the UK. They galloped together, and he rode Caviar and was very happy with him that day.

“Obviously, he knows Dubai Honour inside out, so we will leave Tom to recover from his flight, and we’ll see him on Saturday.”

Dubai Honour excels in Sydney over four starts, losing just once to Via Sistina during last season’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

Plans call for him to contest The Championships race post-Rosehill if fit, with Caviar Heights also Queen Elizabeth-bound, holding a Sydney Cup (3200m) option.

Chris Waller nominates Aeliana for Tancred Stakes, to confirm Tuesday on backing up from Ranvet Stakes (2000m) success at Rosehill recently via Ranvet Stakes.

Secure the finest racing betting markets for the Tancred Stakes showdown.

A WWE and ECW legend has revealed that he is open to working with AEW. The veteran in question, Shane Douglas, has one condition for doing so, however, revolving around the company’s motivation to improve its position in the industry.

Over the past six years, AEW has grown tremendously as a major budding US-based wrestling promotion. The promotion’s success has positioned it as a legitimate rival brand to WWE, a fact that cannot be denied in light of the Stamford-based company’s recent counter-programming attempts against All Elite Wrestling, among other related business moves.

AEW’s success also owes itself in part to the knowledge and experience that its veterans bring to the table, including older in-ring competitors like The Hurt Syndicate, Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, Dustin Rhodes and Billy Gunn, as well as backstage personnel such as Dean Malenko and Chris Hero, to name only a few. Now, another wrestling legend, Shane Douglas, has discussed his interest in bringing his talents to All Elite Wrestling.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, The “Franchise” explained that he would be willing to work for the Tony Khan-led company, but only if the promotion refuses to get complacent with its place in the industry, and is willing to make use of his experience and expertise to develop its position even further.

“So AEW has to ask itself a question: do they want to become a major player in this business, or are they comfortable being the smaller alternative on the side? I know where I stand. I’ve never been content being second best at anything. So to answer the question — yes, I could work with [All Elite Wrestling]. I can work with just about anyone, as long as they truly want what I have to offer. And only they can decide that.” [H/T- Ringside News]

Shane Douglas’ critique of AEW’s product

Elsewhere in the same video, Shane Douglas talked about how in his view, AEW’s booking and presentation strategies have not evolved over the past few years. This is why things have not improved drastically for the company, the 61-year-old implied, stating:

“I’ve been around long enough to see that old saying about insanity play out — doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If [All Elite Wrestling] keeps doing the same thing year after year and expects things to suddenly change, why would they?””

Whether All Elite Wrestling might ever hire Douglas in any capacity remains to be seen.