AAMI Victoria Derby was once hailed as the greatest day of racing on the Australian turf calendar but like any major sporting event, it doesn’t hurt to tweak with the product to keep it fresh and relevant. Sydney stole the march on the Victoria Racing Club when it created its new autumn showpiece, The Championships, but credit to the VRC for a timely reboot of Derby Day. It’s still Group racing from top to bottom but bolstered by the addition of the AUD $1 million Cantala (formerly Emirates) Stakes over a mile.
That makes it four Groups 1s for the day – along with the $1.5 million AAMI Victoria Derby, there’s the Coolmore Stud Stakes for the three-year-old sprinters and the weight-for-age Myer Stakes for the fillies and mares. The forecast looks perfect too, with fine and mild conditions, a track rated a good (4) and the rail in the true position.
Vase form again looks priceless
The Victoria Derby pre-dates the Melbourne Cup by six years making it one of the oldest races in the world. The Derby is always a tricky affair to cap. The 2500m is a distance over which the bulk of the field haven’t been previously tested. It’s also a race where the jockey factor is way higher than normal. The successful hoop not only has to nurse his or her charge through an arduous staying test, but other runners slipping off the pace on the long Flemington straight fall back at an alarming rate.
Given the short run to the first turn, inside barriers have a significant advantage. The top rated Sacred Elixir ($3.10 favourite with William Hill) endured an ugly ride from Damian Lane in the G2 Vase (2040m) last week at Moonee Valley but still won with half-a-length to spare and again looks hard to toss.
Look to the lightweights in G1 mile
While there are only a handful of legitimate contenders in the Derby, the former Emirates (now Cantala) Stakes is a lottery for the country’s best milers at handicap conditions chasing a first prize of AUD $1 million. Nine years ago, Nikita Beriman became the first female jockey to win a Group 1 race in Victoria when she took out the 2007 edition on $101 chance Tears I Cry. Indeed, outsiders have fared well in this race, with 11 winners at $15 or over.
This race is normally a benefit for backmarkers, but Flemington tends to favour on-speed runners early in Cup week. The United States ($6 with Ladbrokes) makes a logical favourite based on his win in the G2 Crystal Mile at Moonee Valley last week, but closely consider the chances of Seaburge. He flashed home to just miss out in the Caulfield Guineas and carries just 50.5kg from barrier 2 here.
3yo sprint among Cup week highlights
If it runs up to expectation, the Coolmore Stud Stakes could be the race of the week. A very impressive class of two-year-olds are showing every sign that they’ll carry their form into their three-year-old season. Only two of the 10 runners have experienced the Flemington ‘Straight Six’ prior, with Saracino and Archives filling the quinella in the G2 Danehill on September 10. But the quality of the rest can’t be dismissed, highlighted by Golden Slipper winner Capitalist and Blue Diamond victor Extreme Choice (the $3 favourite with William Hill).
The real eye-catcher is Star Turn, a $4.40 hope for Team Hawkes from barrier 4. The Star Witness colt rated off the charts in his G3 San Domenico (Rosehill) and G2 Schillaci (Caulfield) victories and should have beaten Astern in the G2 Runto Rose in between those wins. He profiles very nicely for the ultimate sprint test in Australian thoroughbred racing.
