Queensland Derby delay to benefit Statuario but not so much Femminile
He wanted his talented filly to run on a heavy track in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm last weekend but unfortunately for him, persistent rain and poor visibility for jockeys meant the feature race was rescheduled to this Saturday.
In stark contrast, fellow Pakenham trainers Emma-Lee and David Browne are delighted that Derby favourite Statuario will race on a good surface on Saturday in the $1m contest.
And the husband-and-wife team has another ace up its sleeve in 'Derby King' John Allen, who is again booked to ride the grey gelding at Eagle Farm.
The Irish jockey flew to Brisbane for just the one ride in the Derby last week but he didn't even get to jump on Statuario as the rain kept falling and the jockeys voted to call it a day after five races.
He will be back in the River City on Saturday, hoping that his grey wizard can turn the tables on Femminile, who narrowly beat a late-charging Statuario in last month's South Australian Derby (2500m).
Allen has won 20 Group 1s in Australia and, remarkably, nine of those have been in Derbies, including the 2019 Queensland edition for the Stokes-trained Mr Quickie.
'Yes, that definitely gives me a lot more confidence,' Emma-Lee Browne said of Allen's superb record in Derbies.
'He's a very patient rider and that comes from having a background as a jumps jockey with experience over the further distances.
'But the horses seem to settle really well for him which I think is crucial in these kind of races.'
• It's in the blood: Front Page up for the fight in Moreton Cup
Stokes, who organised the travel to the Gold Coast for both Statuario and rival Femminile, said the rescheduling of the Derby was 'not ideal'.
'We went up there hoping for a wet track but the races were called off,' he said.
'We would've loved to have run on a Heavy 10 because I know she likes it.
'Look, I still think she can run well (on Saturday) but is she on the up? No.
'Hopefully she can dig deep and pull one more out.'
Statuario is the $6 favourite for the Queensland Derby ahead of three others in single-figures in the market – Belle Detelle ($7), King Of Thunder ($8) and Femminile ($9.50).
Allen said it was 'frustrating' not getting to ride last Saturday but 'not too disappointing' given that Statuario had a far superior record (8: 3-2-0) on dry tracks.
'It's a very even race with no real standout,' Allen said of the Queensland Derby.
'I'm fairly confident Statuario is in as good form as anything in the race and he's trending the right way.
'I feel like he's the horse with the most upside at this stage.'
Allen will be hoping to recapture his 2019 form in Queensland when he won Group 2 races The Roses (Etana) and The Q22 (Kenedna), which were the cherries on top of Group 1 victories in the Derby (Mr Quickie) and Doomben Cup (Kenedna).
As for the nickname 'Derby King', Allen would love to win on Saturday to cement that reputation as the middle-distance magician.
'I haven't won a Derby in three years (2022 Australian Derby on Hitotsu) so it'll be good to top up the tally on Saturday,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Izak Rankine's ban for homophobic slur: What was the AFL supposed to do?
COMMENT In the end the AFL managed to upset everyone. Make no mistake, Izak Rankine would not have gone to bed last night feeling any better about himself after being given a four-game suspension for using a homophobic slur against a Collingwood player last weekend. His personal reputation is in tatters, he may have ruined his club's best chance to win a premiership in three decades and the ban still almost certainly ends his season. Crows fans won't feel any less despondent today knowing Rankine could be available for a grand final if their team loses in week one of the postseason and then wins its way through to the decider. The Adelaide Football Club, tarnished again by one of its star's loose tongues, might have strengthened its relationship with a player critical to its long-term future by risking public scorn to have his back. But the Crows will be hyper-conscious of the damage to their brand corporately and fear a season they waited so long for has been derailed. The other 17 clubs - even those who will benefit from having Rankine removed from the Crows line-up - will know this entire mess could be there's to deal with next. The 25-year-old is the sixth player in the past two seasons to be suspended for a homophobic slur, there's no reason to think he's the last. The LGBT community will have a right to feel abandoned again, knowing a perceived discount was given to someone who used the most offensive language. Even the section of the footy world who believes what's said on the field should stay on the field were inflamed when the AFL revealed it had considered 'compelling medical advice' when deciding to give Rankine four games instead of the expected five. If there's anything that group dislikes more than players missing games for something they said in the heat of battle is players reportedly using the mental health card. And then you have the league itself, which was torn to shreds on Friday night. Collingwood great Tony Shaw branded the AFL 'incompetent', 'amateurish' and 'laughable'. Longtime commentator Gerard Whateley called it a 'disappointing moment from a disappointing administration'. '(AFL CEO Andrew) Dillon and his legal team should have travelled to Adelaide on Tuesday and sat with the Crows administration,' Whateley said on SEN. 'Dillon should have said the penalty is five weeks now let's hear your submissions. 'Dillon should have followed up with the penalty is five weeks now let's hear your appeal. 'And finally Dillon should have said the penalty is five weeks now let's go and front the press conference.' Former Crows player Josh Jenkins called the saga 'embarrassing all round' and Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall declared on Fox Footy 'they're almost a victim of their own wokeness … they don't want to offend anyone and in doing so they've offended everybody.' In fairness to the league there are no winners in situations like this and for anyone still fuming about the decision there's just one question to ask - what was the AFL supposed to do?
Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Group 1 hopeful to start campaign in no metro win race at Eagle Farm
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Trainer Paul Shailer has Group 1 The Metropolitan dreams for Deep Focus during the Sydney spring carnival, but will kick off his campaign with the low bar of a no-metro-win race at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Deep Focus has been gelded since last being seen finishing sixth in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m), less than three lengths from the winner Maison Louis. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! There is little doubt he is a promising stayer and it would be doubtful he would be competitive at less than a mile at Group or Listed level. However, don't be surprised if he is powering over the top of them in Saturday's No Metro Wins Handicap, even though 1400m is well short of his best. • 'We'll be cheering from Birdsville': Exciting filly takes next step Gold Coast-based Shailer thinks Deep Focus is twice the horse on a rain-affected track and there is every chance that is what it will be at Eagle Farm on Saturday. It is a starting point to what Shailer hopes will be a crack at the Group 1 The Metropolitan over 2400m at Randwick in early October. There were some wise words of wisdom from his former boss Chris Waller that have formulated a blueprint for Deep Focus to race in Sydney during the spring, rather than heading to Melbourne on a Caulfield Cup campaign. 'Saturday it is a very suitable race for him, he looks pretty well placed doesn't he?' Shailer said. 'He has to come up well, but our plan is to get him to Sydney. 'Our grand final this preparation, all going well with the horse, will be The Metropolitan in Sydney. 'I sought advice from Chris Waller on this. 'He was more than happy to have the conversation with me, he said he would be taking him to Sydney and not to Melbourne. 'A lot of Queensland Derby horses seem to end up running in the Caulfield Cup. 'But we have tried to go the opposite way. 'What is the weaker Group 1 mile-and-a-half race at handicap conditions? I believe it is the Metrop.' • Campton retires stable star as 'incredible' mare nears return Shailer has nominated Deep Focus for a midweek race at Ipswich this week but instead kept him for Saturday as he was 'waiting for the rain'. Deep Focus's race on Saturday presents a big opportunity for jockey Dylan Turner. The Townsville Cup-winning jockey recently bared his soul to Racenet and revealed how he had been worried he was becoming an alcoholic, but had turned his life around and hadn't touched a drop of alcohol in months. With Shailer's main go-to jockey Michael Rodd out injured, and with Ryan Maloney riding in Melbourne and Andrew Mallyon in Sydney on Saturday, Turner gets his chance on Deep Focus at Eagle Farm. 'Dylan has been riding very well and he has been putting in a lot hard work at my stable,' Shailer said. 'Also, my top three first-choice riders are not available. 'But Dylan rides Deep Focus every day and is very familiar with them and he's also won on him. 'I am more than happy to reward him with the ride.' Deep Focus opened an $11 chance when TAB fixed odds put up their market, but on Thursday had trimmed into $9. Originally published as The Metropolitan hopeful Deep Focus to launch campaign in no-metro-win race at Eagle Farm
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Alex Johnston edges closer to all-time tryscoring record with 210th career score in Souths win over Dragons
Alex Johnston needs three tries in one game to break the NRL's try-scoring record before the end of the season after edging closer to the history books in South Sydney's 40-0 thrashing of St George Illawarra. The left winger had one try in Souths' penultimate game of a forgettable year, touching down from a very suspect Tallis Duncan pass in front of 7,213 fans on Thursday night. It was the Souths' smallest crowd at Stadium Australia since Round 1, 2020 — not including games that had COVID-19 restrictions. Johnston's 210th career try came in the final minutes before half-time and leaves the veteran only two four-pointers shy of equalling Ken Irvine's mark that has stood since 1973. With Souths on the bye next week, the stage is set for Johnston to take a shot at history against bitter rivals the Sydney Roosters in the last round of the regular season. The win finished as Souths' biggest of the year, and also their biggest over the Dragons either as a joint venture or as their predecessor club, St George. Johnston could've come even closer to rarefied air amid the carnage, The winger tore past Hayden Buchanan and Corey Allan on a line break down the left side in the first half but passed inside to Jye Gray for the Rabbitohs' second try. After the break, Duncan had Johnston unmarked on his left but did not need the veteran as he crashed past Buchanan for a four-score lead. From there, it was Johnston's teammates inflicting the pain, with right winger Tyrone Munro putting the icing on the cake by stepping around Clint Gutherson en route to an 85-metre try in the final minutes. The victory guarantees Souths cannot finish last on the ladder, after last week's win had all but confirmed Wayne Bennett would avoid the first wooden spoon of his premiership career. The Dragons had already been relying on a miracle to play finals but are now mathematically out of contention, left to rue errors and an inability to create opportunities against Souths. AAP
