The Mick Kent trained Charlevoix remains the favourite for the Group 1 $500,000 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville today.
Charlevoix remains the favourite for the South Australian Derby at Morphettville. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Betting at Ladbrokes.com.au has Charlevoix at the top of the market order at $3.70 ahead of the John O’Shea trained Tarquin at $5, Darren Weir’s Howard Be Thy Name at $5.50 and the Lee and Anthony Freedman trained Cool Chap at $6.50.
Charlevpoix heads to Morphettville coming off a win over Cool Chap in the Listed $150,000 Ladbrokes Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Sandown on April 9 and Kent said that the New Approach colt has held his condition well.
“He hasn’t improved but he hasn’t gone backwards,’’ Kent told the Herald Sun.
“I think it’s a pretty good Derby but he stays on well and it’s the right race for him. Beyond that, well he’s a nice, progressive local stayer who might get over further.’’
Charlevoix had his final solid hit out for the South Australian Derby on Monday morning with jockey Mark Zahra getting reacquainted with the three year old.
Zahra was called up for the Derby ride to replace Luke Nolen who is recovering from multiple injuries he received in a horrific fall at Morphettville last Saturday and was happy with Charlevoix’s Monday morning hit out.
“He went well,” Zahra told racing.com
“He is a big lazy bloke. He is never going to show you too much but I just sat in behind a couple and brought him out in the straight and he quickened up nicely.”
“He has just got to hold his form.”
“His win last start was very impressive, as long as he can hold that.
Second favourite Tarquin has had plenty of support since the final field for the South Australian Derby was released on Tuesday and has firmed in from $7 to $5.
Trainer John O’Shea is happy with the recent form of Tarquin and expects the three year old to handle the step up to the 2500m of the Derby after beating the older horses in the BenchMark 90 Handicap over 2000m at Caulfield on April 30.
“I thought Tarquin was very good last start, he was right up on the speed doing plenty of work and still had enough to finish off and win quite impressively against older horses,” O’Shea said.
“His two runs before that were also very good, he’s trained on nicely and he gets out from 2,000m to 2,500m in the Derby which shouldn’t be a problem for him.”
South Australian Derby market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.70 Charlevoix, $5 Tarquin, $5.50 Howard Be Thy Name, $6.50 Cool Chap, $11 Arcadia Dream, $16 Sacred Eye, $17 Etymology, $21 Royal Rumble, $26 Bullish Stock, $41 Manhattan Boss, Mail It In, First Impressions, $51 Rong Door Reggie, Ascot Red, $71 Tuff Bickie, $151 Dropped.
