The 2013 Victoria Derby barrier draw has done no favours for fancied runners Complacent and Savvy Nature with both coming up with horror gates ahead of Saturday’s blue riband feature for the three year olds at Flemington.
Complacent, maroon and white, and Savvy Nature, green, fight out the finish of the Gloaming Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart.
Complacent is in danger of loosing the top spot at the head of the Victoria Derby market order after coming up with gate sixteen in the original draw in the sixteen horse field plus two emergencies.
Both of the emergencies, Cadillac Mountain (gate 9) and Empire Rock (gate 10) drew inside of the Peter Snowden trained Complacent which will bring him into fourteen if they fail to gain a start.
The other top fancied runner Savvy Nature also drew out at gate thirteen and while trainer John O’Shea won’t be that pleased, he will be happy that he has drawn inside of Complacent.
O’Shea was hoping for an inside barrier after finishing behind Complacent at their last two clashes after Savvy Nature had to jump from wide gates while the Snowden trained colt had the luxury of the rails draw.
Savvy Nature was runner up to Complacent in the Group 3 $200,000 PJ’s Irish Pub Parramatta Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill on September 28 before finishing third to the Snowden colt in the Group 1 $400,000 Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 12.
O’Shea has a lot of respect for Complacent but with the slight advantage of drawing a better gate gives him some hope of turning the tables.
“One of the first horses I saw at the track this morning was Complacent and he looks in great order,” O’Shea told The Daily Telegraph.
“He is extremely talented, Peter will have him trained to the minute and he will be well ridden and well prepared.
“So, we realise we have to step up to the plate to win.”
Other top fancies Sydney colts Criterion, gate fourteen, and Drago, gate eighteen, will also need a ton of luck to be anywhere near the fence in the run to the winning post the first time.
The locally trained Polanski was one of the top fancies to draw well and came up with the pole position.
The Robbie Laing trained Polanski is a winner at his last two starts and put himself into Victoria Derby contention with a win in the Group 3 $150,000 Jacob Park Thoroughbreds Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on October 19.
Snowden’s other two Victoria Derby runners drew reasonably well at the barrier draw with San Diego drawing gate six and Tupac Amaru coming up with gate eight.
