2013 Victoria Derby Final Field Released

The 2013 Victoria Derby (2500m) will have a capacity field at Flemington on Saturday; with sixteen runners plus two emergencies included in the final field for the $1.5 million Group 1 event.

Complacent is the favourite in 2013 Victoria Derby betting markets after his impressive win in the Spring Champion Stakes.

Complacent is the favourite in 2013 Victoria Derby betting markets after his impressive win in the Spring Champion Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart

The Darley operation will be well represented in the Victoria Derby, with Complacent, Tupac Amaru and San Diego all entered for the race, as trainer Peter Snowden aims to continue his dominance of the Group 1 three-year-old events during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival, after winning the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) with Long John, the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) with Complacent and the Thousand Guineas (1600m) with Guelph.

Complacent won a maiden at Hawkesbury just over two months ago but has made rapid improvement and will head into the 2013 Victoria Derby as a firm favourite following his impressive wins in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) and Spring Champion Stakes.

The Spring Champion Stakes is set to be the key lead-up race for the Victoria Derby; with placegetters Criterion and Savvy Nature as well as Drago and Thunder Fantasy backing up from the race.

Criterion made a slow start to his three-year-old campaign, after impressing as a two-year-old, but has relished a step-up in distance; finishing second behind Eurozone in the Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) before flying in the final stages to finish only a length behind Complacent in the Spring Champion Stakes.

Savvy Nature franked the Spring Champion Stakes form when he came from the back of the field to win the Group 2 Mitchelton Wines Vase (2040m) in dominant fashion at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

The Savabeel gelding finished behind Complacent in both of their previous meetings and trainer John O’Shea believes that his star three-year-old will need to draw a good barrier to be any chance of turning-the-table on the Authorized colt at Flemington on Saturday.

The form of Sydney three-year-olds has been superior to that of their Melbourne counterparts but Robbie Laing-trained Polanski is considered the best chance of the locally-trained hopefuls in the 2013 Victoria Derby.

The Rakti colt, which was purchased for just $4000, produced a strong staying effort to win the Listed UCI Stakes (1800m) at Flemington on October 5 before chasing down San Diego in the final stages of the Group 3 Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on October 19.

Polanski will become the first horse since Amalfi in 2001 to complete the Norman Robinson Stakes/Victoria Derby if he is successful on Saturday; with San Diego, Epic Saga, Honey Steel’s Gold, Bring Something, Famechon, Surging Wave and emergency Cadillac Mountain also backing up from the Group 3 event.

Efficient in 2007 was the last Victoria Derby favourite to win the Group 1 event but Complacent looks well-placed to end the poor run of favourites.

2013 Victoria Derby Final Field

# Horse Jockey Trainer Wgt.
1 CRITERIOIN Craig Williams David Payne 55.5kg
2 COMPLACENT TBA Peter Snowden 55.5kg
3 SAVVY NATURE James McDonald John O’Shea 55.5kg
4 POLANSKI Hugh Bowman Robbie Laing 55.5kg
5 DRAGO Damien Oliver Anthony Cummings 55.5kg
6 SAN DIEGO TBA Peter Snowden 55.5kg
7 HONEY STEEL’S GOLD Luke Nolen David Hayes 55.5kg
8 TIPS AND BEERS Brett Prebble David Hayes 55.5kg
9 EPIC SAGA Chris Symons Mathew Ellerton& Simon Zahra 55.5kg
10 TUPAC AMARU TBA Peter Snowden 55.5kg
11 PINSTRIPE LANE Nash Rawiller John Sadler 55.5kg
12 THROW THE KING Thomas Sadler John Sadler 55.5kg
13 THUNDER FANTASY Peter Robl Anthony Cummings 55.5kg
14 SURGING WAVE Nicholas Hall David Hayes 55.5kg
15 FAMECHON Dwayne Dunn Michael Moroney 55.5kg
16 BRING SOMETHING Glen Boss Ken Keys 55.5kg
17e CADILLAC MOUNTAIN Daniel Stackhouse Peter G Moody 55.5kg
18e EMPIRE ROCK Daniel Moor David Hayes 55.5kg

Will Darley continue their dominance or can an outsider cause yet another boil over in the Victoria Derby this weekend?

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.