New Zealand-bred horses dominate Group 1 Australian Derby pastthewire.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pastthewire.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Link to Share
The success of New Zealand-bred horses in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) continued last Saturday with Explosive Jack taking out the Sydney Classic.
The son of the ill-fated stallion Jakkalberry got up to win in the last stride of the 2400m feature, closing from the rear of the field to prevail from fellow New Zealand-bred runners Young Werther (Tavistock) and Lion’s Roar (Contributer).
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Explosive Jack followed a less traditional path into the Derby, traversing Australian states at will.
He won on debut over 1600m in late November, before running fifth over 2100m at his next start. A month later he stepped up over 2400m when he won at Kembla Grange against older horses before heading to Tasmania to take out the Listed Tasmanian Derby (2200m) in February.
RSN927
DRAGONET AND BOSS SILENCE DOUBTERS
April 4, 2021 9:01 pm
By Jackson Frantz
Sir Dragonet to measure up in next fortnights time-honoured
Queen Elizabeth Stakes at
David Eustace was delighted by the son of
Camelot’s return to form in yesterday’s Group 1
Tancred Stakes, stating that he expected the highly rated 5-year-old to perform despite finding an unstable firm surface.
He said the dominant victory was reassurance of his galloper’s ability and the stable’s decision to back up into the race.
“I was feeling quite confident he was quite fresh in the All-Star Mile and The Ranvet, so I was confident the backup would suit him,” Maher told
Link to Share
Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet won his second Group 1 race on Australian soil at Rosehill on Saturday, claiming a decisive victory in the $1.5 million Group 1 KIA Tancred Stakes (2400m).
Australia s only top-level weight-for-age contest over 2400 metres saw Sir Dragonet, formerly trained by Aidan O Brien, easily dispatch his rivals where several market leaders failed to perform to expectations.
Ridden by Glen Boss, Sir Dragonet ($5.50 favourite) defeated 96-handicap-rated Dundeel mare She s Ideel ($13) by 2.25 lengths, with 2019 VRC Oaks winner Miami Bound ($51) a further long neck away in third.
Sir Dragonet has been unplaced from four starts since his debut Australian win in last October s Cox Plate, finishing sixth in the Melbourne Cup (3200m), seventh in the C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m), ninth in the $5m All-Star Mile (1600m) and fourth in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m).
The Australian Derby will be Grandslam’s next target after jockey Jamie Kah produced another masterclass in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes.
Kah’s terrific frontrunning ride gave Grandslam’s rivals no chance of running him down from the 600m before the brother to Caulfield Cup winner Jameka strode to a 6-1/4 length win.
Trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace booked Kah with the aim of sending Grandslam forward after the three-year-old was well held after racing back in the field from wide barriers at his previous two runs.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Grandslam’s win was a contrast to the last time he led in the Cox Plate, in which he wilted under pressure to finish last behind Sir Dragonet.