Victoria’s leading trainer Darren Weir is hopping to snag another Group 1 trophy at the 2018 Adelaide Festival Of Racing after accepting with four horses for the Group 1 $600,000 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville on Saturday.

Leicester, above, is one of four runners for trainer Darren Weir in the 2018 South Australian Derby at Morphettville. Photo by Jenny Barnes.

Leicester, above, is one of four runners for trainer Darren Weir in the 2018 South Australian Derby at Morphettville. Photo by Jenny Barnes.

Weir won last Saturday’s Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Oaks (Australasian Oaks) (2000m) at Morphettville with his filly Sopressa and will saddle up Leicester, Civil Disobedience, Savaheat and Amerock in the Blue Riband Classic for the three year olds.

The Weir quartet received mixed results at the barrier draw for the South Australian Derby field that comprises of sixteen final runners plus four emergencies.

Savaheat with Dean Yendall booked to ride, drew the best of Weir’s four at barrier two, Damian Lane’s mount Leicester came up with nine, Civil Disobedience has barrier thirteen for John Allen and Amerock will jump from the extreme outside gate with Australasian Oaks winning jockey Harry Coffey in the saddle.

All the barriers will possible move in from the original draw at the final scratching time on Saturday morning with the four emergencies drawing barriers 6, 8, 1 and 19.

Leicester has the best credentials of the Weir runners and has already shown his liking for the Morphettville track with a last start win there in the Group 3 $120,000 AAMI Chairman’s Stakes (2035m) on April 28 .

Amerock, Savaheat and Civil Disobedience also had their final lead up run to the South Australian Derby in the Chairman’s Stakes and finished third, fifth and eighth respectively.

The Lindsay Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig will also have multiple runners with Won Won Too and Rezealient making the final sixteen while Creedence (barrier 19) is the fourth emergency.

Won Won Too (Jordon Childs, barrier 4) and Rezealient (Jamie Kah, barrier 5) have drawn next to each other and are both coming off a run in the Listed $200,000 VRC St Leger (2800m) at Flemington on Anzac Day where Rezealient finished second and Won Won Too eighth.

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott has accepted with two three-year-olds with Runaway making the final sixteen while Delos is marked as the second emergency with Adam Hyeronimus booked to ride form barrier eight.

Runaway is chasing a hat trick and has drawn barrier fourteen in the original draw with Stephen Baster retaining the mount after combining with the front running three year old with all the way wins in a 2218m BenchMark 64 Handicap at Geelong on April 17 and in the VRC St Leger.

Chris Waller will only have one runner in the South Australian Derby with Tangled who has drawn barrier fifteen in the original draw with Michael Walker on board again.

Walker has been in the saddle for Tangled’s last three starts during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival that produced a second in the Group 1 $600,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill, a third in the Group 1 $2m Harrolds Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick and a second in the Group 3 $150,000 IGA Liquor Frank Packer Plate (2000m) at Randwick.

Final field for the 2018 South Australian Derby (2500m)

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Hcp Rating
1 4220×60232 TANGLED Chris Waller Michael Walker 15 56.5kg 94
2 6177×47114 MONEY MAHER Daniel & Ben Pearce Jarrad Noske 17 56.5kg 80
3 4×4131241 LEICESTER Darren Weir Damian Lane 9 56.5kg 77
4 3141131758 CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE (NZ) Darren Weir John Allen 13 56.5kg 76
5 12135×4005 MAIN STAGE (NZ) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Damien Oliver 10 56.5kg 75
6 1215 SHERRIF (NZ) Roger James Leith Innes 12 56.5kg 75
7 165×902311 RUNAWAY Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Stephen Baster 14 56.5kg 74
8 07×102918 WON WON TOO (NZ) David & B Hayes & T Dabernig Jordan Childs 4 56.5kg 73
9 56104×1005 SAVAHEAT (NZ) Darren Weir Dean Yendall 2 56.5kg 73
10 8425122 REZEALIENT David & B Hayes & T Dabernig Jamie Kah 5 56.5kg 70
11 015610×066 SILENT COMMAND Nick Smart Shayne Cahill 3 56.5kg 70
12 01608×1801 INTO RIO (NZ) Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra Damien Thornton 7 56.5kg 68
13 70×5132 HIGH ’N’ DRY Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra Andrew Mallyon 18 56.5kg 68
14 38×0515833 AMEROCK Darren Weir Harry Coffey 20 56.5kg 67
15 3310×16 NOTHIN’ LEICA HIGH Robbie Griffiths 11 56.5kg 66
16 33823×6314 BOX ON COLLINS Tony McEvoy 16 56.5kg 63
17e 1242×72551 TROPICAL LIGHTNING Travis Doudle Todd Pannell 6 56.5kg 65
18e 00252×6119 DELOS (NZ) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Adam Hyeronimus 8 56.5kg 64
19e 22300×1622 JOHNNY VINKO (NZ) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Dwayne Dunn 1 56.5kg 63
20e 671304 CREEDENCE David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 19 56.5kg 62

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.