Jockey Daniel Moor has secured the prized mount on Cool Chap in the Group 1 $500,000 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Jockey Daniel Moor, above, will ride Cool Chap in the South Australian Derby at Morphettville. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Co-trainers Lee and Anthony Freedman were left without a rider for South Australian Derby top fancy Cool Chap after booked jockey Daniel Stackhouse was suspended for careless riding at last Sunday’s Ballarat meeting, forcing him to miss Saturday’s Festival Of Racing’s meeting.
The Freedman brothers then had to search for a suitable rider and ended up booking Moor who has had plenty of success for the stable in the past.
But Moor will have to be on his A game after Cool Chap drew barrier seventeen in the original drew and will jump from the outside of the capacity field when it is reduced to sixteen runners at final scratching time on race morning.
Cool Chap heads to the South Australian Derby on the back of a win in the Listed $200,000 VRC St Leger (2800m) at Flemington on April 25 and Lee Freedman said that the High Chaparral three year old has continued to please on the training track.
“His work leading up to the Derby has been as good as it was before the St Leger,’’ Freedman said.
“He’s such a good little staying horse you have to give him a crack at it.
“He’s a genuine horse and he stays well.”
Cool Chap has only had three runs for the Freedmans and scored first up for the stable with a win in a 2000m three year old Handicap at Caulfield on March 26 followed by a second to South Australian Derby rival Charlevoix in Listed $150,000 Ladbrokes Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Sandown on April 9 before winning the VRC St Leger.
Freedman said that Cool Chap would miss the Spring Carnival no matter what the result was in the South Australian Derby and head to the paddock for good spell.
“He’s been a bit of a revelation. He’s a lovely horse, but we probably won’t push on for a big spring campaign,” Freedman said.
“He’s a bit immature yet and I’m giving him a relatively big autumn, so we’ll probably be a bit light on him in the spring.”
Cool Chap currently shares the second line of betting for the South Australian Derby at $5.50 with the Darren Weir trained Howard Be Thy Name behind the Mick Kent trained Charlevoix who heads the Ladbrokes.com.au market order at $3.90.
South Australian Derby market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.90 Charlevoix, $5.50 Howard Be Thy Name, Cool Chap, $7 Tarquin, $10 Arcadia Dream, $14 Etymology, $17 Sacred Eye, $18 Royal Rumble, $26 Bullish Stock, $31 Manhattan Boss, $34 Mail It In, Rong Door Reggie, Ascot Red, $51 First Impressions, $61 Tuff Bickie. $67 Prince Of Pagoda, $126 Dropped.
