Nick Williams believes that Divan is the most exciting horse in the entire Team Williams stable and revealed that the rising three-year-old would be set for either the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) or Group 1 Victoria Derby (2400m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival.
Team Williams have not won the Victoria Derby since they took out the 2006 edition of the race with Efficient. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Divan is by champion sire Zabeel out of seven-time Group 1 winning mare Seachange and he made his racing debut with a fast-finishing third behind Merion and Light Up Manhattan in the Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1410m) at Flemington on April 25 this year.
Williams told Racing Ahead that he has extremely high hopes for the racing future of Divan, but admits that the juvenile will need to show plenty of improvement from his debut run to be a contender at Group level during the spring.
“I think that he is the horse in the stable that I am most excited about,” Williams said.
“He is by Zabeel out of that wonder mare Seachange.
“We have very high hopes for this horse.
“He has got to make that improvement, one thing that you can’t get fooled by is horses sitting at the back of races and running home.
“It is a great way to make them look good, but it can make them look better than they really are and that is what he did in his only start as a two-year-old.
“He missed the start and ran home out wide and just missed.”
Team Williams is yet to decide the path that Divan will following during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival and will decide whether he is set for the Caulfield Guineas at Caulfield on October 11 or the Victoria Derby at Flemington on November 1 after he starts his spring preparation.
“We think that he has a stack of ability and if he shows that natural improvement he will be on a Caulfield Guineas or Victoria Derby campaign depending on what he shows us, whether he is a stayer or whether he is a middle distance horse.”
Divan is currently available at odds of $26 in 2014 Caulfield Guineas betting markets and is available at 2014 Victoria Derby odds of $21.
Team Williams won the 2006 edition of the Victoria Derby with Efficient and he went on to win the 2007 Melbourne Cup twelve months later.
