More Joyous has regained her position as Golden Slipper favourite, ensuring her place in the field with victory in the Reisling Stakes to the relief of owner John Singleton and trainer Gai Waterhouse.More Joyous, who put on a buckjumping display in the Silver Slipper, needed to win the Reisling (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday to qualify for the $3.5 million Golden Slipper on April 4.Darren Beadman was encouraged to Sydney from Hong Kong to ride the filly but he was also snapped up by the Hawkes

More Joyous has regained her position as Golden Slipper favourite, ensuring her place in the field with victory in the Reisling Stakes to the relief of owner John Singleton and trainer Gai Waterhouse.

More Joyous, who put on a buckjumping display in the Silver Slipper, needed to win the Reisling (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday to qualify for the $3.5 million Golden Slipper on April 4.

Darren Beadman was encouraged to Sydney from Hong Kong to ride the filly but he was also snapped up by the Hawkes team for Real Saga who won the Todman Stakes earlier in the day.

The colt briefly deposed More Joyous as Slipper favourite and both camps agreed the two deserved to be at the top of the betting with More Joyous now $3.20 from $4.50 and Real Saga in from $6.50 to $3.60.

"When a horse has been favourite for three months there is a lot of pressure, especially as she wasn't in the field," Singleton said.

"I feel confident now that she can win."

Waterhouse agreed but was wary of Real Saga.

"He is an outstanding colt and the one to beat," she said.

"He is a mature two-year-old and had the advantage of a spring preparation whereas this filly is doing it all in the autumn.

"More Joyous isn't very big but try to measure the size of her heart."

Beadman was impressed with both performances and reaffirmed his commitment to More Joyous.

"She got left behind a bit when they jumped so I didn't bustle her," he said.

"I'm very happy to be on her in the Slipper."

More Joyous beat Melito by 2-1/4 lengths with the latter drifting from $9 to $13 for the Slipper.

The senior member of the Hawkes partnership, John Hawkes, played down Real Saga's 2-3/4 lengths win over Phelan Ready and said it was what he expected.

"It was a nice strong win but he didn't beat much and still has improvement in him and will be perfect on Slipper day," Hawkes said.

"There was never going to be a lot of speed in the race and he was back and out of trouble.

"He has always been a laid-back type and has a good attitude to racing.

"The filly was most impressive as well."

Hawkes said he had several jockeys in line for the Slipper ride but in typical fashion would make up his mind in his own time.

Reward For Effort, who beat Real Saga in the Blue Diamond, was withdrawn from the Todman in favour of a barrier trial next week before the big race.