The final field for this Saturday’s 2013 Victoria Derby has been released with the Flemington classic shaping up as a crack showdown headed by Peter Snowden’s Group 1 winner Complacent.

Complacent heads a full 2013 Victoria Derby field for Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

Running as one of four elite level features on the opening day of the iconic Melbourne Cup Carnival, this year’s $1.5 million Group 1 AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) has drawn a capacity field of 16 starters plus two emergencies.

Victoria Derby betting has been dominated by two youngsters, both accepted for this morning.

Top fancy at a pre-field quote of around $4 is Snowden’s Authorized colt Complacent after back-to-back Group 1’s.

The Sydney star also shoots for their fourth on the trot having taken out a maiden at Hawkesbury three back before winning the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) one run before their Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) success at Randwick on October 12.

Complacent goes into the Derby fresh not having run since their Spring Champion success and will have to be at their best going up to 2500m and seeing a track outside of Sydney for the first time.

They will be ridden in the Derby by Kerrin McEvoy who was aboard for their maiden win and the Gloaming Stakes before Christian Reith took over for the Spring Champion.

Second favourite in the Victoria Derby field and markets is then Gloaming Stakes runner-up and Spring Champion Stakes third placegetter Savvy Nature.

John O’Shea’s Savabeel gelding travelled to Melbourne early to try and gain the upper hand experience and fitness wise over Complacent.

They ran their Victorian debut last Saturday at Moonee Valley and scored an emphatic three length victory when running away in the Group 2 Mitchelton Wines Vase (2040m).

It was an impressive effort and the perfect Derby lead-up, but will they be able to match it when facing arch nemesis Complacent for round three of their ongoing battle?

Other early fancies in the Victoria Derby odds all accepted for today include:

San Diego (Peter Snowden) – Snowden’s second best chance of scoring the 2013 Victoria Derby trophy, this Exceed And Excel colt comes via a different lead-up to their more fancied stablemate having finished sixth in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at the Valley last month before improving when stepped up to the 2000m to run second to Polanski in the Norman Robinson on Caulfield Cup Day

Polanski (Robbie Laing) – Smart Rakti colt shoots for their third straight win, at the start of the month they enjoyed a win in the Super Impose over 1800m at Flemington before going to Caulfield on October 19 to take out the Group 3 Norman Robinson stakes over a number of other Derby hopes, question is whether this Melbourne form or that of Sydney’s Spring Champion will hold up in this year’s Derby

Criterion (David Payne) – Sebring colt whose lead-up form is in Sydney, two back were second to Eurozone in the Stan Fox over 1500m before relishing the step up in distance for the Spring Champion where they finished a brave second to Complacent, will have to have improved a fair bit to run down Saturday’s favourite but can be there in the finish if they handle the other way of going, aided by having Craig Williams jump aboard

Along with Complacent and San Diego, Snowden will also be represented in Saturday’s Victoria Derby field by Tupac Amaru, the Street Cry colt last seen running second in the Listed Geelong Classic over 2200m on October 23.

Also in the mix are then the likes of Norman Robinson Stakes runners: Matthew Ellerton’s Epic Saga (3^rd), the David Hayes-trained Honey Steel’s Gold (4^th), Bring Something (5^th), Michael Moroney’s Famechon (6^th) and Hayes’ other runner Surging Wave (7^th).

The two emergency runners are then Cadillac Mountain and Empire Rock.

See below for the complete Victoria Derby 2013 final acceptors.

The 2013 Victoria Derby barrier draw will be conducted live from 12:30pm (AEST) with gates and barrier statistics published right here so stay tuned.

In the meantime, get ready to get DOUBLE the odds on the Victoria Derby this weekend online at Ladbrokes.com.au by opening your account with the country’s leading bookmaker today!

2013 Victoria Derby Final Field