The James Cummings stable is pleased with the form of Prized Icon leading up to the Group 1 $1.5m AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Prized Icon, above, has pleased the stable in the lead up to the Victoria Derby at Flemington. Photo by Steve Hart.
Prized Icon hasn’t visited the winner’s stall since winning the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick during the Sydney Autumn Carnival as a late two year old.
But Cummings says that the More Than Ready colt is giving him the right feeling that he will be competitive over the 2500m of the Victoria Derby.
“I think he’s in good enough form, having run a narrow third to Yankee Rose in the Spring Champion Stakes two starts ago,” Cummings told AAP.
“Good runs in that race usually equate to good runs in the Derby.”
“We’ve got a three-year-old here who has two strong mile wins under his name as a two-year-old and he’s sixth-up this preparation and very, very fit and very tough going into the Derby.”
“Prized Icon is there because we feel he can run well.”
Cummings has given Prized Icon a solid Spring Carnival grounding and the Victoria Derby will be his sixth run this campaign, including a third two starts back to Yankee Rose in the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 8 followed by a fifth to Victoria Derby favourite Sacred Elixir in the Group 2 $200,000 LUCRF Super Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley last Saturday.
Glyn Schofield rode Prized Icon to victory in the Champagne Stakes and was on his back at his last two Spring Carnival outings and is certain to give him every chance from barrier five in the sixteen horse capacity Victoria Derby field.
While Cummings is giving his colt a good chance, bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au have Prized Icon at the healthy double figure odds of $15, well behind the Kiwi three year old Sacred Elixir who heads the market order at $2.90.
Next in the betting at $9 is the Team Hawkes trained Swear just ahead of Robbie Laing’s So Si Bon at $10.
Swear also goes into the Victoria Derby in good form, beating home Prized Icon when second in the Spring Champion Stakes while So Si Bon ran a last start third in the LUCRF Super Vase.
Market order for the Victoria Derby at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.90 Sacred Elixir, $9 Swear, $10 So Si Bon, $15 Inference, Prized Icon, $16 Beach Life, $19 Rocketeer, $18 Captain Duffy, $19 Morvada, $21 Tumultuous, Wine Bush, $26 Highlad, $31 Kent, $34 Hollywood Mo, $41 Silvera, $51 Anaheim, $61 All Out Of Love, $81 Zoffman, $126 Peter John, Shine Tak Star.
