David Payne’s Spring Champion Stakes winner Ace High has been elevated to the top of post-field 2017 Victoria Derby betting after a favourable draw.
Spring Champion Stakes winner Ace High is new favourite in Victoria Derby 2017 betting in Melbourne for this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.
The official field and barriers for Saturday’s Group 1 $1.5 million AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) are now out and pre-acceptance favourite Main Stage has eased right out after a wide barrier 14 draw.
At best the Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young-trained UCI Stakes winner, last seen placing third in the Group 3 Ladbrokes Classic (2000m), will come into gate 13 should his stablemate Beachwood (6) fail to gain a run as the sole emergency.
The bookies were quick to react and the latest Victoria Derby odds at Ladbrokes.com.au now have Ace High as the $5 top elect, the High Chaparral colt drawn in barrier three.
Jockey Tye Angland retains the ride on the in-form Ace High who chases a third win on the trot in his first Melbourne start of the spring.
Two back the galloper won Rosehill’s Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) before his narrow success in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 7 from a similar gate (4).
No VRC Derby winner however has won from barrier three in the past 30 plus years, giving Ace High a notable hoodoo to overcome.
He is also out to be the first horse to complete the Spring Champion Stakes – Victoria Derby interstate double without a run in between since Monaco Consul (2009).
Following closely in the VRC Derby betting markets at $5.50 is the Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman-trained Weather With You, drawn one closer to the rails in barrier two.
New Zealanders have a gun recent record in the Victoria Derby results with recent wins by the also Baker-trained Lion Tamer (2010) and the Trent Busuttin-trained Sangster (2011),
Weather With You has Mark Zahra aboard on the weekend looking to be the next and comes off the good lead-up win in the Listed Geelong Classic (2200m).
Former Kiwi trainer Busuttin meanwhile is now based at Cranbourne and trains in partnership with Natalie Young, the team saddling-up Main Stage, Sully, Johnny Vinko and possibly Beachwood.
Like Main Stage, who is out to $6 for the win, Reliable Man grey Sully also suffered a blow with a wide VRC Derby barrier drawn 15.
He could come into 14 however, which produced Lion Tamer to victory, and was impressive last start running third to now favourite Ace High in the Spring Champion Stakes.
Sully has three-time Victoria Derby winning hoop Hugh Bowman aboard, Bowman successful on the two Kiwi winners back-to-back in 2010-11 as well as the Robbie Laing-trained Polanski in 2013.
Derby betting for Saturday has Sully listed at $7.50, while Johnny Vinko is a $34 roughie in barrier four after the son of Savabeel ran a disappointing 11th in the Geelong Classic.
The other single-figure hope to win after the release of the VRC Derby 2017 Field & Barriers meanwhile is the Chris Waller-trained Tangled ($6).
Tangled jumps from barrier 11 with Blake Shinn in the saddle again, the Snitzel colt last seen running second in the Ladbrokes Stakes.
Check out the latest Victoria Derby odds for 2017 online now at Ladbrokes.com.au, getting behind your favourite three-year-olds at the right price.
