Hugh Bowman labelled favourite Profiteer faster than last year’s winner Farnan, but bookmaker Rob Waterhouse believes it will be his ability to settle that will decide Saturday’s Golden Slipper at Rosehill.

Delayed by a week due to heavy rain last Saturday, the Slipper is set to be run on an improving surface that could get to a soft-6 by the time they jump - which will help the chances of Profiteer, if he is able to harness his brilliant speed. But Waterhouse was not convinced.

“I don’t know if he has got the manners to win a Golden Slipper,” Waterhouse said. “He is a hard going horse that hasn’t been able to come back, and I think the pressure of the Slipper could be against him.

“He is probably going to get out towards $4 in a Golden Slipper because of that. The majority of Slipper betting is done on race day and I can see him getting to a better price on Saturday.”

Profiteer has been top of the betting since the barrier draw, where he came up with gate five, and was $3.60 favourite in front of Stay Inside at $4.60 and unbeaten filly Four Moves Ahead at $5.50.

He is the likely leader and Bowman will look to control the tempo on Profiteer as he did on Farnan 12 months ago, when he gave giving nothing else a chance on the way to booting home his first Slipper winner.

“He is a very fast horse and he is getting better,” Bowman said “I had my doubts about him at the 1200m after he won the Inglis Millennium, where he used his brilliant speed, but after the Todman [where he was down late by Anamoe] I think he will run the 1200m without a problem.”

TAB’s Glenn Munsie was convinced Profiteer would get out in the betting before the meeting was postponed last Saturday, but thinks he should hold his position at the top of the market.

“The drier the track gets, the less Profiteer gets out in my opinion,” Munsie said. “Because he is a question at 1200m in so many people’s minds, I thought on a really heavy track he would be a good risk.