GR.1 ATC AUSTRALIAN DERBY

There were four excellent Gr.1’s on the Randwick card, the first day of The Championships, and by prize money the ATC Australian Derby was only ranked third, but it is still the race the local racegoers are really interested in. It promised much with the best field assembled in the past decade, boasting the dual Gr.1 winner and Gr.1 W S Cox Plate runner up Castelvecchio (It’s A Dundeel), another two-time Gr.1 winner in Shadow Hero (Pierro), Gr.1 Victoria Derby winner Warning (Declaration Of War) and the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby winner Sherwood Forest (Fastnet Rock).

It would be a different Kiwi that took the spoils and for the fifth time the Derby trainer’s trophy will rest on the mantelpiece of Murray Baker. Baker trains the So You Think colt Quick Thinker in partnership with Andrew Forsman, but with movement restrictions in place the final touches were left to Murray’s Gr.1-winning trainer son Bjorn.

On paper the race looked devoid of a natural leader, so it was surprising to see no fewer than seven horses wanting to take it up in the short run to the turn out of the straight. Sacramento (Pierro) eventually won the battle, Castelvecchio got much further back than expected and Sherwood Forest saw far too much of suburban Sydney as he scouted wide throughout. Quick Thinker was one of the septet that wanted to lead with Opie Bosson eventually allowing him to settle in Sacramento’s slipstream. Bosson made his move on the home turn, challenging five wide, while Hugh Bowman aboard the lightly raced Zebrowski (Savabeel) went back to the fence at the same time, the pair hitting the lead together and over the last 300m and fighting a two horse battle. Quick Thinker always had a head advantage and he kept it all the way down the straight to deny Zebrowski, who was gallant in defeat. Queensland visitor Eric The Eel (Olympic Glory) looked to have a fleeting hope of catching the leaders 200m out, but he was dour to the line when explosiveness was required. The first three home gapped their opponents.

Baker first won the Derby in his own right back in 2008 with Nom Du Jeu (Montjeu) and followed up with It’s A Dundeel (High Chaparral) in 2012. Three years later it was Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor) and then Jon Snow (Iffraaj) two years after that. Of the five only Jon Snow was a gelding and it will be interesting to see where Quick Thinker winds up at stud, presumably New Zealand, where his staying prowess will be better appreciated by breeders.