PUNTERS can expect to see a fitter Mongolian Khan ($8 at CrownBet.com.au) at Randwick this Saturday after its Rosehill Guineas disappointment.
The Murray Baker-trained runner lines up in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Derby (2400 metres) but the Kiwi trainer admits his runner will need to improve on its Guineas effort.
The three-year-old won the New Zealand Derby narrowly over Volkstok’n’barrell which won the Rosehill Guineas, but more than six lengths came between them on that occasion. Baker has seen improvement in Mongolian Khan through the week however.
“He was flat a fair way out and frankly didn’t measure up on the day.” Baker said.
“He looks to have tightened up though and there seems to be plenty of bounce in him.
“He had a few days off after the [NZ] Derby and it could be that he needed the run first-up over here.”
Baker is no stranger to winning the Australian Derby, having taken home the Group 1 twice with Nom Du Jeu in 2008 and again with [It’s A] Dundeel in 2013.
New Zealand hoop Opie Bosson will return to Sydney for the ride in the $2 million event.
Volkstok’n’barrell sets the track alight
Rosehill Guineas winner Volkstok’n’barrell has produced an excellent piece of track work on Tuesday morning which left many regular track watchers expecting the Kiwi runner to be tough to beat in Saturday’s Australian Derby.
The Donna Logan-trained gelding is currently on the third line of betting at $4.70 at Sportsbet.com.au but despite the rise in distance which doesn’t suit the three-year-old, it looked mightily impressive on the track at Randwick this week.
It was partnered by Craig Williams and ran alongside Rising Romance. The pair built to a nice gallop and both ran 22.9 seconds for their last 400 metres with the last 200 metres coming in 11.7 on rain-affected ground.
“Enormous,” said one Randwick trainer. “To work that strong over ground, that horse is going to be extremely hard to beat on Saturday.”
Current Derby favourite is the Chris Waller-trained Preferment which ran second behind Volkstok’n’barrell in the Rosehill Guineas. The extra distance is expected to help the colt which has only won once in its lifetime.
Hauraki looked good when winning last Saturday but it has never faced this class. Money has come for the John O’Shea-trained runner which now sits on the second line of betting at $3.70 after a strong market push in its favour.
Along with the aforementioned Mongolian Khan, these four runners are expected to have the race between them and it is shaping up as an almighty four-horse battle.
Arc dream all but over for Silent Achiever
Kiwi trainer Roger James has all but ruled out a run in the Prix de I’Arc de Triomphe for Group 1 winner Silent Achiever.
Connections pulled back on their plans to run the mare in Europe after a string of unsuccessful runs this campaign in Sydney. The O’Reilly mare had looked likely after winning the 2014 New Zealand Stakes, Ranvet Stakes and The BMW but has since failed to show its best.
The six-year-old finished fourth in the Ranvet before backing up last week when running sixth behind Hartnell in The BMW.
James said that Silent Achiever was going as well as last year but her opposition has improved, which meant that it could struggle in top European company. Instead, it has been nominated for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on April 11 at Randwick.
“I think she is absolutely as good as she was last year and is at the top of her game, but they were just too good for her,” James said.
“I’d say it’s most unlikely that we will press ahead, though I still have to discuss it with Kevin [Hickman, owner]. It’s a huge undertaking and she’s going to be running into types like the first two on Saturday.”
Those two were European import Hartnell and Japanese star To The World. Hartnell is nominated for both the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Sydney Cup, to which it is expected to run in the latter.
Hartnell is the firm $2.50 favourite with Sportsbet to take out the distance feature on its way to a possible 2015 Melbourne Cup berth.