October
AprilLeave it alone
Just wondering what’s happened to Rick Hore-Lacy and the annual chorus of pundits telling us that the Victoria Derby needs to be shortened to 2000 metres, moved to autumn or both because it ruins its participants.
The quinella horses from last spring’s Victoria Derby, Fiveandahalfstar and Super Cool, have been so badly affected by their harrowing experience that they have won the biggest two weight-for-age races of the autumn. In the case of the Australian Cup, there was four lengths between these two "ruined" horses and their nearest older challenger.
It’s a Dundeel, who conventional wisdom would suggest was a spent force after struggling home seventh in the Derby, is now at a short price to complete Sydney’s elusive autumn Group 1 classic treble.
The 2011 winner, Sangster, was held up for some time as a prime example of the worthlessness of Victoria Derby form. Yet he has won two Group 1 races in NZ this season and last Saturday placed in Australia’s second-richest weight-for-age race.
While some Victoria Derby winners and placegetters are subsequently disappointing, the same could be said about the ATC Australian Derby. Roman Emperor, anyone?
Victoria Derby trifectas of the past 20 years have yielded such good horses as Mahogany, Danewin, Nothin’ Leica Dane, Octagonal, Tie the Knot, Sky Heights, Shogun Lodge, Elvstroem, Efficient and Whobegotyou, as well as Sangster, Fiveandahalfstar and Super Cool.
Moreover, the race provides one of the few incentives remaining for breeders and owners of the Australasian stayer.
The shortening of the Brisbane and Perth cups has condemned those once major races to total irrelevance. Let’s not make the same mistake with a true classic.
Castlemaine (Vic)