Kiwis Dominate 2017 Australian Derby Nominations

February 7, 2017

Kiwis Dominate 2017 Australian Derby Nominations

With three wins in the past four years the New Zealanders have dominated one of the key races held during Sydney’s The Championships and the Kiwis are out in force again in the Australian Derby 2017 nominations.

Prized Icon

James Cummings’ Victoria Derby winner Prized Icon is nominated for the 2017 Australian Derby in Sydney this April. Photo: Steve Hart.

Early entries closed for all 10 features races run over the first two Saturdays in April at Royal Randwick Racecourse this week including those for the $2 million Group 1 BMW Australian Derby (2400m).

Australian Derby nominations drew 133 hopeful three-year-old stayers including a large contingent of New Zealand-trained youngsters.

Three of the past four editions of the ATC Derby have been stolen by gallopers from across the Tasman with It’s A Dundeel (2013), Mongolian Khan (2015) and Tavago (2016) last Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

Cambridge horseman Murray Baker prepared both It’s A Dundeel and subsequent Caulfield Cup champion Mongolian Khan for their respective Australian Derby wins.

He also won the race for the first time back in 2008 with Nom Du Jeu and is in with six entries in 2017 that he prepares in partnership with Andrew Forsman.

The Baker & Forsman-trained Australian Derby nominees are: undefeated Shocking gelding Camino Rocoso; a Group 1 performer down under Highlad; recent Group 1 Levin Classic third-placed Iffraaj colt John Snow; smart Savabeel filly Nicoletta; and the unraced duo of Mongolian Legend and Mongolian Wolf.

New Zealand trainer Murray Baker chases his fourth Australian Derby win in 2017

Last year’s Australian Derby winning trainer Trent Busuttin is now based at Cranbourne in Victoria and trains in partnership with Natalie Young.

He returns this season with four entries led by Fastnet Rock colt Anaheim who won an 1800m black-type Flemington feature during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The other Busuttin & Young-trained hopes are Cape Blanco filly Ceylon, Positive Carry and the promising Redwood gelding Rising Red.

Last year’s Victoria Derby trifecta are also nominated for the Sydney edition in the autumn with Prized Icon (1st), Sacred Elixir (2nd) and Inference (3rd) shaping-up as big ATC Derby hopes.

James Cummings prepares More Than Ready colt Prized Icon who won the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) by a runaway two and a half lengths in his first turf triumph since the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick in mid-April last year.

The Tony Pike-trained Sacred Elixir is yet another dominant Kiwi in the mix, the Pour Moi gelding having won the Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m) before his Victoria Derby second in the spring.

As a two-year-old he won Brisbane’s Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m), but as yet Sacred Elixir hasn’t raced in Sydney.

Pike has also nominated his lightly-raced High Chaparral gelding Sacred Way whose sole start to date was a 1400m win on debut at home in late January.

Inference is one of four Hawkes Racing-trained Australian Derby nominations this season.

The consistent son of So You Think ran third in the Victoria derby after a strong campaign that saw him progress nicely through the grades, Inference another yet to run in Sydney.

Eleven fillies are among the ATC Derby 2017 nominations, with the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) run the weekend after the more likely final goal for the likes of Crown Oaks winner Lasqueti Spirit A and runner-up in that Cup Carnival classic Harlow Gold.

Other standout nominees include the highly-spruiked Chris Waller-trained Comin’ Through, Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet for Team Hawkes and the Gai Waterhouse-trained Northwest Passage who completed the Hobart Guineas – Tasmanian Derby double this summer.

The Australian Derby first acceptances are open until Tuesday March 7, 2017.

View the full 2017 Australian Derby Nominations below then head to Ladbrokes.com.au for access to the season’s top racing odds and offers.

2017 ATC Derby Nominations

Royal Randwick Racecourse – 01/04/2017

# Form (Last 10) Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp. Rating
1 06x31x A TOUCH OF LUCK G 3 Amanda Turner & Mauro Poletti 57
2 13x1135x ACATOUR C 3 Peter & Paul Snowden
3 43451x ADATTO (NZ) G 3 Michael Freedman 66
4 17x AEROPLANE G 3 Jason Warren
5 5x AMERICA C 3 Gerald Ryan
6 323211x ANAHEIM C 3 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young
7 1 BALANSA G 3 Keith Dryden & Scott Collings 55
8 34x2141x BARJEEL G 3 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
9 80x532x BAYKOOL G 3 Pat Carey
10 76x2x BEDFORD (NZ) G 3 Lee & Anthony Freedman
11 63x5x BIG JOHN CANNON C 3 Jim Conlan
12 697x66x1x BLUE SEAL G 3 David Payne 58
13 5x331x BOLD PRESENCE C 3 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
14 11x CAMINO ROCOSO (NZ) G 3 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman
15 415x96010x CAPTAIN DUFFY C 3 Bjorn Baker 72
16 0x837x522 CAPTAIN RHETT G 3 Pat Carey
17 14x CARE TO THINK G 3 Matthew Dunn 53
18 254x6x CELEBRIS G 3 Michael Freedman
19 2131x CEYLON (NZ) F 3 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young
20 CHA SIU BAO C 3 Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott
21 2x CHARLES ROAD G 3 Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott
22 121×5 COMIN’ THROUGH C 3 Chris Waller 81
23 3159x65x CONGRESSIONAL G 3 Mick Price
24 0129x COONAWARRA C 3 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 65
25 x85433214x CRIMSON HALO G 3 David Payne 56
26 5x13x1421x DIVINE PROPHET C 3 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 104
27 9×4 DODGE CITY G 3 Michael Moroney
28 22176x ELECTRIC CHARLIE G 3 John & Chris Ledger
29 3x EQUIPPED G 3 James Cummings
30 3x23516x EXCALIBUR (NZ) C 3 Shaune Ritchie
31 4x141x FARSON G 3 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
32 59x FENCOURT (NZ) C 3 James Cummings
33 211x232x FIRST APPROVAL C 3 Peter & Paul Snowden 69
34 221x FOX HALL C 3 Tony McEvoy
35 3110x FRENCH FERN F 3 David Payne 82
36 21x GAUGUIN (NZ) G 3 James Cummings 67
37 51x GIVEN EVIDENCE G 3 John & Chris Ledger
38 241x GOLDEN ORGANIC (NZ) G 3 Anthony Cummings
39 1x3670x HARDHAM C 3 David Brideoake
40 3x611562x HARLOW GOLD (NZ) F 3 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
41 226x31212x HARPER’S CHOICE C 3 Gerald Ryan 70
42 117x HE’S THE BOSS G 3 Matt Laurie
43 53153×7 HESSDALEN (NZ) C 3 Michael Freedman 64
44 11398x HIGHLAD C 3 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman
45 8x5353226x HOLLYWOOD MO C 3 Paul Perry
46 5x5125x8x HONEYWINE G 3 John O’Shea 74
47 8x831x I AIN’T THE ONE G 3 Lee & Anthony Freedman
48 1x IMPAVIDO G 3 Bjorn Baker 64
49 21x11433x INFERENCE C 3 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
50 INTROIT G 3 Michael Freedman
51 221x INTUERI G 3 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 64
52 ISERLOHN (NZ) G 3 Gregory Hickman
53 106×3 I’VE GOT THIS G 3 Matthew Dale 53
54 1x2x3x JON SNOW (NZ) C 3 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman
55 087x213x KRUSTY G 3 Joseph Pride 65
56 1x LA DIOSA (NZ) F 3 Mandy Brown
57 51429x3x LAND OF PLENTY C 3 Grahame Begg
58 3x6538241x LASQUETI SPIRIT F 3 Lee Curtis 100
59 11x LIFESAVER (NZ) C 3 Matthew Dunn
60 0x4 LOOK FIRST G 3 Anthony Cummings
61 16x2231x LUBITON F 3 Bjorn Baker 71
62 x57x62525x LUCKY TIGER G 3 David Payne
63 83x MAITRE DU MONDE C 3 Terry & Karina O’Sullivan
64 123×1 MAN FROM UNCLE G 3 Anthony Cummings 80
65 MANDLAKAZI C 3 Pat Carey
66 MONGOLIAN LEGEND C 3 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman
67 MONGOLIAN WOLF C 3 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman
68 543 MY KIND G 3 John P Thompson
69 5426298×1 NEMRUD G 3 John O’Shea
70 317x NEPEAN C 3 James Cummings 66
71 2x1x NICOLETTA (NZ) F 3 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman
72 30x60497x0 NIKITAS C 3 Chris Waller 72
73 96x NOBLE TRUTH C 3 Anthony Cummings
74 11311 NORTHWEST PASSAGE G 3 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
75 129x12x OMEI SWORD F 3 Chris Waller 92
76 42x ONLY TIGER (NZ) G 3 James Cummings
77 216x016x ONTOFF OFTHE WORLD G 3 Luke Oliver
78 0x5x PIRELLONE G 3 Gabrielle Englebrecht
79 2100x POSITIVE CARRY (NZ) C 3 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young
80 9x221x POTENT FORCE G 3 James Cummings 66
81 1554x POWER LAW (NZ) C 3 James Cummings 63
82 9x080x PRINCE CHABAL G 3 Anthony Cummings
83 11x463351x PRIZED ICON C 3 James Cummings
84 44x22343x RAISE AN ARMY G 3 Chris Waller
85 57x346212x READY FOR SUCCESS G 3 David Payne 62
86 827×2 RED HEAT F 3 Keith Dryden & Scott Collings
87 5124x REDEEM THE DREAM (NZ) C 3 Shaune Ritchie
88 1x13489x RETALIATION G 3 John O’Shea
89 312x RIGHTEOUS MATE (NZ) G 3 Mark Newnham 68
90 842122x RISING RED (NZ) G 3 Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young
91 7x63354x RIVERINA EXPLORER G 3 John & Chris Ledger
92 10x ROCK AND SWING C 3 James Cummings
93 1x ROMANCER (NZ) G 3 Donna Logan & Chris Gibbs
94 3x ROTOITI (NZ) C 3 Chris Waller
95 3324x411x ROYAL NAVY C 3 Peter & Paul Snowden 68
96 1x114x RUTHLESS AGENT (NZ) G 3 Kurt Goldman 65
97 112x RUTHVEN C 3 Ciaron Maher
98 x161x1812x SACRED ELIXIR (NZ) G 3 Tony Pike
99 1x SACRED WAY G 3 Tony Pike
100 1x32x2x SAVILE ROW (NZ) U 0 Michael Moroney
101 89865x SCREAMARR G 3 Anthony Cummings
102 16x454282x SEABURGE C 3 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
103 0x044 SHANGANI PATROL G 3 Pat Carey
104 095416x5x SHINE TAK STAR G 3 John Sargent 60
105 36 SHOCK ALERT (NZ) G 3 Bjorn Baker
106 SHOCKING LUCK (NZ) G 3 Jamie Richards
107 353313x SHOW ’EM (NZ) G 3 Michael Freedman 66
108 11270x SILVERA C 3 Tony McEvoy
109 91x31x SIZZLING BULLET C 3 Chris Waller 70
110 4x45x2932x SMOOTH WHISKEY G 3 Lee & Anthony Freedman
111 6x1141x SNITZSON C 3 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig
112 26x165344x SO SI BON C 3 Robbie Laing
113 325x2x SO SPIRITED G 3 Joseph Pride
114 7x8x SONGS OF EARTH (NZ) C 3 Gwenda Markwell
115 3x271x54x2 TAJ MAHAL C 3 Peter & Paul Snowden 69
116 2 TAMARACK (NZ) G 3 Joseph Pride
117 30x6x TARA ITI (NZ) G 3 Michael Moroney
118 804x757x TARAKONA G 3 Kerry Parker
119 2x TED (NZ) G 3 Stuart Kendrick
120 3x14x TEMPERS FLARE G 3 Gabrielle Englebrecht 59
121 21 THAT RINGS A BELL F 3 Danny O’Brien
122 0x21x1x THE GRANDSON (NZ) C 3 John P Thompson 67
123 4x THINK LIKE A BIRD F 3 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
124 3x1x TOP PROSPECT (NZ) G 3 Richard Collett
125 515465640x TUMULTUOUS G 3 Chris Waller 65
126 6x TURKONIC (NZ) G 3 Robert & Luke Price
127 11x1611x UGO FOSCOLO (NZ) G 3 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
128 07x61533x VALENTINO ROSSA G 3 Jason Coyle 61
129 34x11144x4 VELADERO C 3 Chris Waller 84
130 17274x WARRIOR OF JUSTICE G 3 Archie Alexander
131 73x375150x WINE BUSH G 3 Chris Waller 71
132 12x33x3x WYNDSPELLE (NZ) C 3 Donna Logan & Chris Gibbs
133 416x ZIJIN CHENG C 3 Bjorn Baker 58

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