Victoria’s leading trainer Darren Weir has been left with three runners in today’s Group 1 $600,000 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville following the scratching of Amerock.
The Darren Weir trained Leicester, above, is the favourite for the 2018 South Australian Derby at Morphettville. Photo by Jenny Barnes.
Weir was forced to scratch Amerock after he saw a problem developing with one of his hooves, leaving the master trained with Leicester, Civil Disobedience and Savaheat to represent the stable in the South Australian Derby.
“Unfortunately, Amerock is going to have to come out of the Derby,” Weir told RSN927 on Friday morning.
“He just wasn’t quite right in the morning.
“It looks like a small foot coming on which is unfortunate but the other three horses are in good shape.”
Weir will still saddle up Leicester who will jump from barrier seven in the capacity sixteen horse South Australian Derby field with Damian Lane in the saddle and the Wanted three year old heads the betting at Ladbrokes.com.au at $4.40 just ahead of the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra trained High ‘N’ Dry and Chris Waller’s Tangled at $6.
Civil Disobedience (John Allen, barrier 11) is marked at $18 while Savaheat (Dean Yendall, barrier 1) is listed as a $26 chance.
Leicester is racing in great form with three wins from his last six starts and heads to the South Australian Derby on the back of a win in the Group 3 $120,000 AAMI Chairman’s Stakes (2035m) at Morphettville on April 28.
Second favourite High ‘N’ Dry will be ridden again by Andrew Mallyon who was aboard last start when second to Leicester in the Chairman’s Stakes.
High ‘N’ Dry has worked his way up through classes very quickly after only winning his maiden three starts back over 1600m at Sandown and then finished third in the Listed $110,000 Port Adelaide Guineas (1800m) at Morphettville on April 14 before his second in the Chairman’s Stakes.
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