On a super Saturday of racing at Randwick, the G1 BMW Australian Derby looks an open race with form lines available to tie in several of the leading contenders.
New Zealand challenger Mongolian Khan (NZ) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire) already has a Derby victory to his name having captured the New Zealand equivalent at Ellerslie Feb. 28. On that occasion, he had one of Saturdays challengers,Volkstok'n'barrell (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) a length back in second place. Also trained in New Zealand by Donna Logan, Volkstok'n'barrell subsequently won the G1 Rosehill Guineas Mar. 21, beating another of Saturdays runnersPreferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ} into second, with Mongolian Khan running a disappointing race back in fifth. Preferment is also a previous Derby winner having annexed the G1 Victoria Derby at Flemington last November, and his trainer Chris Waller believes Preferment is now a more mature horse who will be seen to better effect back over the Derby trip of 2400 meters.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Waller commented, “He has really matured now. Leading up to the Victoria Derby Preferment did a few things wrong, but he has grown up a lot since.”
Preferment is one of two runners for the Waller stable, which will also be represented by Quick Strike (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}) in the Derby, and this gelding's form ties in with two other contenders for Saturday's race. Quick Strike finished an eye-catching fourth on his most recent outing in the G3 Tulloch S. at Rosehill last week behind Godolphin's Hauraki (Aus) (Reset {Aus} and Omeros (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}) over the 2000-meter trip. All three horses re-oppose on Saturday, with perhaps the two High Chaparral sired runners having the most scope for improvement over the extended trip.
New Zealand trainer Murray Baker is quite hopeful that Mongolian Khan can bounce back from his previous disappointing run in the Rosehill Guineas.nd he spoke to “He was flat a fair way out at Rosehill and frankly didn't measure up on the day. He looks to have tightened up though, and there seems to be plenty of bounce in him,” he told www.theinformant.co.nz.
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