Dynamic Western Australian filly Delicacy has joined the top of the market order for the Group 1 $500,000 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Australasian Oaks winner Delicacy is now equal favourite for the South Australian Derby at Morphettville.Photo by Jenny Barnes.
Delicacy showed her toughness and outstanding ability to collect a second Oaks victory with a superb win in the Group 1 $400,000 Schweppes Oaks (registered as Australasian Oaks) (2000m) at Morphettville.
The Grant Williams trained filly was dominant over the Perth Autumn Carnival at Ascot with a win in the Group 3 $250,000 Reliance Partners W.A. Oaks (2400m) on March 28 followed by a win in the Group 2 $400,000 Schweppes W.A.T.C Derby (2400m) on April 11.
Delicacy is now equal $6 favourite with Ladbrokes.com.au to win her second Derby and shares the top betting spot with local chance October Date and Victorian three year olds Authoritarian and Manapine.
Prominent Perth owner Bob Peters is not frightened to take on the colts and geldings again and said his dual Oaks winning filly will back up on Saturday.
“Of course she’ll run in it. She’s here now, so why not?,” Peters told The Advertiser.
Peters had sent Delicacy to the paddock after her W.A.T.C Derby win at Ascot but after inspecting her a couple of days later made the decision to send her to Adelaide to chase a Group 1 win or two.
“She won the Derby on the 11th … and I had to get the girl on our farm to lunge her on the 14th. That’s when I decided to run her in this race (Australasian Oaks),” Peters said.
Substitute jockey Peter Hall only picked up the Oaks ride early in the week after fellow Perth rider William Pike was injured in a barrier trial mishap and will be out of the saddle for two to three months after requiring surgery on his injured shoulder.
Williams was full of praise for Hall’s winning ride and said he followed the pre-race plan to the letter.
“It was a great ride. He just used no petrol tickets early. That was the plan — to use it for one crack and it paid off. This is what it’s all about,” Williams said.
Adelaide gelding October Date cemented a start in the South Australia Derby with a photo finish win over Maysoor in the Group 3 $115,000 Quayclean Chairman’s Stakes (2020m) at Morphettville on April 25.
The Lee and Anthony Freedman trained Authoritarian showed his staying ability with a all the way win on a soft 6 in the Listed $200,000 VRC St Leger (2800m) at Flemington on the same day while Manapine won over the Derby distance when he beat Oncidium Ruler in the Listed $150,000 Galilee Series Final (2500m) at Flemington on April 11.
