Group 1 winning colt Ace High heads up an open betting market for the Group 1 $1.5m AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Ace High, above, is the ruling favourite for the 2017 Victoria Derby at Flemington. Photo by Steve Hart.
Ladbrokes.com.au have the David Payne trained Ace High as the $5 favourite for the Victoria Derby just ahead of the Chris Waller trained Tangled at $6.
Payne agrees with the bookies’ that Ace High is the one to beat after the High Chaparral colt led all of the way to hold out Tangled in the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 7.
“He (Ace High) is one of the better ones I’ve trained. He is not as sharp as Criterion was, but he has got a bit of class about him,” Payne told the Herald Sun.
“We think we have a very big chance all going well, but you have got to have the luck on the day. If we have the run we want, he is going to be very competitive.”
Ace High hasn’t had a run since winning the Spring Champion Stakes but Waller sent Tangled around for a second to Cliff’s Edge in the Group 3 $350,000 Ladbrokes Classic (2000m) at Caulfield on October 21.
Ace High has drawn nicely at barrier three with Tye Angland in the saddle again for the fourth consecutive time while Tangled has drawn awkwardly at gate eleven with Blake Shinn to ride.
Sharing the third line of betting at $7.50 is the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young trained Main Stage and the promising Kiwi three year old Weather With You.
Main Stage put himself into Victoria Derby contention with a win in the Listed $120,000 UCI Stakes (1800m) at Flemington on October 7 followed by a third behind Cliff’s Edge and tangled in the Ladbrokes Classic.
Michael Walker rides Main Stage who has drawn out wide at barrier fourteen in the capacity sixteen horse field while Weather With You has drawn close to the rails at gate two with Mark Zahra booked to ride.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman trained Weather With You put in a great Victoria Derby trial with a win in the Listed $120,000 Geelong Classic (2200m) at Geelong on October 25.
Trainer James Cummings is looking for back to back wins in the Victoria Derby and will saddle up Astoria (barrier 1) with Damian Lane to ride after collecting the winning trophy last year with Prized Icon.
Astoria was sent out as the $4 favourite last start but could only to finish third to Weather With You in the Geelong Classic and is marked at $9 for the Victoria Derby.
