Mick Price is confident his colt Tarzino can overcome the favourites’ hoodoo in Saturday’s Victoria Derby 2015 after drawing what he believes is a gun gate with barrier 10 in the Flemington feature.

Race favourtie Tarzino is drawn barrier 10 for the 2015 Victoria Derby that no winner has jumped from in 25 years. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The barrier draw for Saturday’s capacity field in the $1.5 million Group 1 AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) took place on Wednesday morning, the race favourite Tarzino in barrier 10 with Craig Newitt in the saddle.

Barrier 10 has failed to produce a Victoria Derby winner since Fire Oak back in 1990, but Price hopes his son of Tavistock can get the job done this weekend on the back of a brilliant trial when third in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m) last weekend.

Price will instruct Newitt, who retains his association having ridden the youngster in all five of his career starts to date, to ride Tarzino forward from the gate during the early stages of Saturday’s classic.

“My first thought is I’ll be speaking to the stewards and telling them we’ll endeavour to ride in a more forward position,” Price told Racing Victoria after the Victoria Derby barrier draw.

“With Shards drawn 11 and Ayers Rock drawn 12, I think there’s a cart across for us somewhere.

“I’m happy with the horse, I’m happy with the barrier and we’ve just got to let it unfold now.”

Tarzino is the short-priced $2.40 favourite in Victoria Derby betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, who are offering Best Tote or SP + 20% across the Flemington card on Saturday.

As well as the gate 10 hoodoo, the top fancy is looking to salute for the punters for the first time since Efficient (2006).

Price though isn’t worried about the statistics and believes jumping favourite is no disadvantage.

“I always say it’s a lovely problem to have,” he said.

“They used to ask me about Lankan Rupee being odds-on, asking ‘do you feel the pressure”, but I wish I had that pressure more.

“Those 33/1 chances don’t give you much of a kick.

“So I hope the market’s right and he wins. I like the short-priced favourites, most of them win.”

The galloper in barrier 11 one on the favourite’s outside, Shards, is a $15 chance in betting and is the early Victoria Derby market mover in from $18.

He has last weekend’s Cox Plate winning jockey Hugh Bowman in the saddle and beat Tarzino home by one when runner-up to Jameka in the Vase.

Last year Preferment won the Victoria Derby from barrier six (of 16), a gate that also produced 2007 winner Kibbutz and is drawn on Saturday by the Mark Kavanagh-trained $34 roughie Iron Boss.

The only other gate to produce multiple Victoria Derby winners in the past 10 years is the inside alley that Polanski (2013) and Monaco Consul (2009) jumped from.

This year barrier one belongs to the undefeated Perth raider Kia Ora Koutou who is after his fifth win from as many career starts as he debuts in black-type company and interstate racing for the first time.

Trainer Adam Durrant has thrown the son of Blackfriars in the deep end after a 2200m win at Belmont at the start of the month, and hopes the favourable gate helps the gelding run as well as his $8 price suggests he can.

Other three-year-olds to draw well in the Victoria Derby this Melbourne Cup Carnival include the Stuart Webb-trained Get The Picture (barrier five) who five-time winning hoop Damien Oliver rides and the in-form Peter Moody-trained Palace Tycoon (barrier 7) coming off back-to-back wins outside of the city.

See below for the full Victoria Derby 2015 barrier draw and latest Fixed Win odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au who will open their Best Tote or SP + 20% markets on race day!

2015 Victoria Derby Barriers & Odds