The race’s most successful jockey Damien Oliver returns to Flemington Racecourse this Derby Day shooting for a fourth win in the 2015 Coolmore Stud Stakes aboard Ready For Victory.
Ready For Victory has three-time Coolmore Stud Stakes winning jockey Damien Oliver back in the saddle for Saturday’s Group 1 sprint on Derby Day at Flemington. Photo: Adrienne Bicknell.
To date Oliver has had 18 rides in the $500,000 Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), one of four elite levels on the Victoria Derby Day line-up this Saturday, for three wins, three seconds and four third place finishes.
It is an imposing Coolmore Stud Stakes record in the stallion-making sprint clash for the hoop who will look to add to his success this weekend partnering the Mick Price-trained More Than Ready colt Ready For Victory.
The Caulfield-based Price has his star staying three-year-old Tarzino dominating the betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, home of Best Tote or SP + 20% for all nine Derby Day races on Saturday, for the day’s marquee race – the $1.5 million Group 1 AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m).
Stablemate Ready For Victory will also chase Group 1 success on the Flemington card on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival contesting the Coolmore Stud Stakes as Price’s seventh runner in the race.
Price has trained one runner-up and one third placegetter in the Coolmore to date, but victory has so far eluded him.
Ready For Victory is currently paying $17 in the all-in Coolmore Stud Stakes odds to break his trainer’s maiden in the showdown on the back of a smart third to Press Statement in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
In the Guineas Glen Boss had the mount, but for Saturday Oliver returns to the saddle having guided Ready For Victory to a third behind Kinglike in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on September 12 and his ninth when beaten under two lengths in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) a fortnight later.
Oliver’s previous Coolmore Stud Stakes winning rides were aboard Racer’s Edge (1994), North Boy (2001) and most recently the Lee Freedman-trained filly Alighi (2004).
The last Coolmore Stud Stakes winner to come off a last start Group run in the Caulfield Guineas without another race in between was Weekend Hussler who completed the double in 2007.
Weekend Hussler was one of six favourites to win the Stud Stakes in the past 10 years.
This year the top fancy looking to continue the gun recent record of favourites in the race is the Golden Rose winning Sydney visitor Exosphere ($1.40) prepared by John O’Shea and raced by the famous Godolphin stable.
A winner of five of his seven starts so far, the Lonhro colt was last seen winning the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Randwick by over three lengths.
The Roman Consul Stakes has produced the past two Coolmore Stud Stakes winners with the Chris Waller-trained duo Zoustar (2013) and Brazen Beau (2014) both completing the double Exosphere is after in 2015.
The only other three-year-olds under double figures in the all-in Coolmore Stud Stakes markets currently are the David Hayes & Tom Dabernig-trained Blue Sapphire Stakes winner on October 14 Keen Array ($8) and runner-up in the same lead-up Mogador ($9) who is a stablemate to the odds-on favourite.
Waller meanwhile will attempt three wins in as many years with his well-fancied duo Japonisme ($11) last seen running third in the Roman Consul Stakes and last start black-type winner in Sydney Counterattack ($13).
The 2015 Coolmore Stud Stakes field and barriers are released on Wednesday morning making now the time to sign-up with Ladbrokes.com.au who are offering Best Tote or SP + 20% across the Derby Day card on Saturday!
