Preferment Tops 2015 Australian Derby Nominations

February 9, 2015 by
Home > News > Fields & Form > Preferment Tops 2015 Australian Derby Nominations

Chris Waller’s pre-post favourite Preferment is the headline three-year-old nominated for the 2015 Australian Derby, one of a host of The Championships races Racing NSW took initial entries for today.

Preferment

Victoria Derby winner Preferment is the headline 2015 Australian Derby nominee this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. Photo: Sarah Ebbett.

Held over two Saturdays in April during the coveted Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, The Championships features eight Group 1 features including the $2 million BMW Australian Derby (2400m).

The ATC Derby runs on Saturday April 4 along with the Doncaster Mile, Darley TJ Smith Stakes and Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes.

109 three-year-olds make up this year’s Australian Derby nominations including Waller’s Zabeel colt who leads the futures markets at Ladbrokes for the classic, and who is also nominated for the $3 million Group 1 The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at the same meeting.

From seven starts Preferment has won just the one race but it was a beauty when backing up from a Geelong Classic second during the spring to take out the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 1.

No horse has completed the Victoria Derby – Australian Derby double in the past 20 years meaning Preferment will need to be flying come April to break the hoodoo.

Waller has nominated for a total of five in the Australian Derby this year including also his Thousand Guineas winning filly Amicus and Teofilo colt Kermadec.

A daughter of Fastnet Rock, Amicus boasts two wins, two seconds and two thirds from her seven career starts to date, and was last seen taking out the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield by three-quarters of a length last October.

History is against Amicus and all the other fillies nominated however as the race has been dominated by colts and geldings over the years.

Just one filly has won the Australian Derby in the past 24 years with Shamrocker saluting back in 2011.

Kermadec meanwhile won the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on Derby Day before returning last Saturday at Rosehill to run fourth behind Scissor Kick in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m).

Following Preferment in futures betting for the race meanwhile is a horse from another of Sydney’s premier stables, Gai Waterhouse’s Tulloch Lodge, with Hampton Court.

Like Waller, Waterhouse has five Derby entries this autumn led by her Redoute’s Choice colt Hampton Court.

Winner of the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick back in early October, he was last seen running eighth to his major ATC Derby rival in the Victoria Derby when defeated over six lengths.

The other major nominee with genuine claims at the lucrative $1.2 million winners’ cheque is Sweynesse.

Lonhro colt Sweynesse represents Godolphin and their head trainer John O’Shea.

The Group 3 Gloaming Stakes winner ran a brave third to Hampton Court in the Spring Champion before travelling to Melbourne where he was far from disgraced running eighth when under two lengths off the winner Adelaide in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.

The most notable omission from the Australian Derby line-up at nomination stage meanwhile is the Murray Baker-trained Turn Me Loose who was as short as $8 to win.

The Iffraaj colt hails from New Zealand where he won the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas (1600m) in November.

He’s had one official trial at Warwick Farm back on February 4 and is a definite Sydney contender this autumn.

Baker however is more likely to head towards the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) on March 7 after the horse kicks off his campaign in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on February 21.

Also missing from the line-up is Nozomi, the Victoria Derby third placegetter injuring his tendon during a Flemington jumpout last Friday morning that will likely see him sidelined until 2016.

“He’s going to be probably gelded and then sent to rehab for six months,” co-trainer Lee Freedman told Racing Victoria.

“I was just doing my final check on the horses on Friday morning and I was looking at how he pulled up noticed a slight blemish on his tendon so I got the vet back and sure enough there was quite a nasty tear in his tendon.”

Other notable Australian Derby nominees include the Danny O’Brien-trained Victoria Bondeiger, progressive Street Cry colt Lassitude who also represents O’Shea and Donna Logan’s New Zealand raider Volkstok’n’barrell.

Australian Derby first acceptances close on Monday Marcy 9 at midday local time before the final field is released on Tuesday March 31 at 9am followed by the barrier draw.

2015 Australian Derby Nominations

# FORM HORSE TRAINER HANDICAP
1 642×6740 AL MAHINDRA Clarry Conners N/A
2 890x AMERICAN PIE Danny Williams N/A
3 316x3221x AMICUS Chris Waller 101
4 437×55123 ANOTHER AL Gai Waterhouse 67
5 0x334x5 BERSERK Lee & Anthony Freedman N/A
6 8x BIKILA Pat Carey N/A
7 341x BLADEMEISTER Peter & Paul Snowden 68
8 1x BOHEMIAN LILY (NZ) Gai Waterhouse N/A
9 76441×6468 BOMBER BROWN David Payne 64
10 3x21172x BONDEIGER Danny O’Brien N/A
11 222×375814 BRAZEN MOSS Gerald Ryan 65
12 67x BREWERY Gerald Ryan N/A
13 3x4x BROGUE (NZ) Steve Englebrecht N/A
14 1x CAPED CRUSADER (NZ) Gai Waterhouse 67
15 – CODE NOIR Matthew Dunn N/A
16 55251x COLOUR OF MONEY Bart & James Cummings 66
17 643x3360x COLUMKILLE Paul Cave N/A
18 3752×40 COMMISSAR John Sargent N/A
19 – CROWD GO CRAZY Michael Kent N/A
20 0798x4279x CUBAN FIGHTER Robbie Laing N/A
21 1122×6 DIAMOND VALORES (NZ) Peter & Paul Snowden N/A
22 8159×51474 DREAM HABIT Gavin Andrews 56
23 56x843x7 DUCK DYNASTY (NZ) David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
24 1x EVERYONE’S TALKING (NZ) Paul Rocke N/A
25 6×128 FIGTREE Gwenda Markwell N/A
26 231830x5x FIREHOUSE ROCK David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
27 0x855351 FLY TILL DAWN Bill Prain 58
28 3x FRANCOME (NZ) Andrew R Campbell N/A
29 63771x GAULTIER (NZ) Danica Guy N/A
30 21x GENERAL JAMES (NZ) Danny O’Brien N/A
31 9 GENERAL ZABEEL (NZ) John P Thompson N/A
32 12x GIANT TURTLE (NZ) Bruce Wallace N/A
33 3881x GIFTED LAD (NZ) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young N/A
34 9745 GLORIOUS PROSPECT (NZ) Chris Waller 56
35 – GO ASH GO Mark Ashby N/A
36 743x4517x8 GOULDIAN John O’Shea N/A
37 59 HAKUNA MATATA Pat Carey N/A
38 11x114x HALLOWED CROWN Bart & James Cummings N/A
39 10x834118x HAMPTON COURT Gai Waterhouse N/A
40 11×6 HAURAKI John O’Shea N/A
41 004x HENRY’S ON COURSE Stephen Hill N/A
42 9x4x83x422 HERE COMES THEBOOM David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
43 09×7114 HERNE’S OAK Bjorn Baker N/A
44 82x HERRSCHAFT Gerard Betros N/A
45 3x14x HI WORLD Peter G Moody N/A
46 – HIGH MIDNIGHT Bart & James Cummings N/A
47 4321×3 HIGH SEAS Bjorn Baker N/A
48 131x HONG KONG CAPTAIN David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
49 47x2141x INAUGURATION Peter G Moody 68
50 22x KARIGARA (NZ) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes N/A
51 31x KASHARN Con Karakatsanis 66
52 121×4 KERMADEC (NZ) Chris Waller N/A
53 066x04x KIWI DREAMER (NZ) Michael Moroney 54
54 022x KRYSOR Peter G Moody N/A
55 26x3211x LASSITUDE John O’Shea 73
56 65x12500x LIBERATION Gai Waterhouse N/A
57 7136x4x LIE DIRECT Steve Englebrecht 61
58 1x122x4 MAASTRICHT (NZ) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 77
59 4x MADASCO (NZ) Michael Kent N/A
60 5x12155x MAGICOOL Mark Kavanagh N/A
61 2x MANAPINE Nigel Blackiston N/A
62 1x MARGIN TRADER (NZ) Michael Moroney N/A
63 451 MASTER AGAR Ron Quinton 66
64 7x5x MAYSOOR Mick Price N/A
65 11x4169x3 MERION (NZ) Michael Moroney N/A
66 352x31x MIDNITEMAGICMAN (NZ) Donna Logan N/A
67 85431×40 MON SAMEDI Jason Deamer N/A
68 10111x MONGOLIAN KHAN Murray Baker N/A
69 0x5x MONTPELLIER (NZ) Terry & Karina O’Sullivan N/A
70 44x NAKATAAN (NZ) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes N/A
71 63 NAZIR (NZ) Bart & James Cummings N/A
72 9x431x NORMAN RULES Colin & Cindy Alderson N/A
73 5661025x NYMPH MONTE (NZ) Grant Nicholson N/A
74 – OMEROS John Sargent N/A
75 2x1x OUTROAR Kris Lees 64
76 x558611x2x PETROLOGY David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
77 56x42238x POUNAMU Allan Denham N/A
78 7322421x PREFERMENT (NZ) Chris Waller N/A
79 50x111x9 PUNTA NORTE Robert Heathcote N/A
80 3x3311x3 QUICK STRIKE Chris Waller 70
81 38x7x72x RAMSDEN STREET Colin & Cindy Alderson N/A
82 13x37x RHODIN DRIVE Gwenda Markwell 63
83 1858x ROAD TO SHANGRI LA (NZ) Anthony Cummings 65
84 323x12x ROCKFAST Jason Bridgman N/A
85 4612 RULING DYNASTY Bart & James Cummings 65
86 2x SADDLER’S FLAME Kevin Moses 62
87 15x14x SAN NICASIO Peter G Moody N/A
88 1586x SAN PADRE Michael Kent N/A
89 2x6458x SIR SAVA (NZ) Bruce Wallace N/A
90 311x SOUND PROPOSITION (NZ) Lance O’Sullivan N/A
91 – SPILSBURY John O’Shea N/A
92 1x STRATOCASTER (NZ) Jeff McVean & Emma-Lee Browne N/A
93 x3121122x2 STRATUM STAR Darren Weir N/A
94 1x11138x SWEYNESSE John O’Shea N/A
95 51x2x SWORN TO SILENCE (NZ) Bryce Heys 65
96 5439x7x SYDNEY HARBOUR David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
97 6322x TEMPERED STRENGTH Bart & James Cummings N/A
98 4x THE CHAIRMAN Mick Price N/A
99 8x8390240x THE MIGHTY JROD (NZ) Robbie Laing N/A
100 756x106x6 THE SPITFIRE David Hayes & Tom Dabernig N/A
101 64x325312x THUNDER LADY (NZ) John Sargent N/A
102 52x82x TRIPLE GOLD Peter G Moody N/A
103 1x VOLKSTOK’N’BARRELL (NZ) Donna Logan N/A
104 23x WERTHER (NZ) Andrew R Campbell N/A
105 – ZABEELIONS (NZ) Gerald Ryan N/A
106 213x390x ZEBULON (NZ) Peter Morgan & Craig Widdison N/A
107 355x34157x ZEDOPIA Leon & Troy Corstens N/A
108 22132 ZIGGY WILLIE John Sargent 67
109 5x ZOLTAR (NZ) Joseph Pride N/A

About The Author

Lucy Henderson

Lucy is an experienced horse racing journalist that has been a crucial member of the horseracing.com.au team for the better part of a decade. She has taken great delight in covering champion mares Black Caviar and Winx throughout their careers and always has a soft spot for a winning filly.