After narrowly being denied a history-making victory in last week’s Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m), young trainers and brothers Ben, Will and JD Hayes have their sights set on redemption in Saturday’s (4 November) G1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
The training partners thought they had won the Cox Plate with their gallant galloper Mr Brightside, who challenged on the fence late, but he went down to Hong Kong raider Romantic Warrior by the smallest of margins.
The Hayes siblings will saddle Apulia in the AU$2 million (approx. HK$9.9 million) Victoria Derby and are confident they can land a Group 1 that eluded them at Moonee Valley.
Sired by 2013 G1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner Fiorente, Apulia quickly gathered plenty of support for a Derby victory when he won his last start, the G2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m).
At his previous start in the G3 Caulfield Classic (2000m) at Caulfield, he finished fourth, beaten nearly three lengths to Sunsets, who is a red-hot chance in the Derby.
The highly-rated Riff Rocket was second, with Gates third. The pair will also go around in the Derby, a race for three-year-olds.
It will be the third consecutive Saturday that Apulia, a dominant two-length winner in The Vase, will race.
Co-trainer JD Hayes said Apulia had come through the Moonee Valley Vase without any problems.
“He’s pulled up really well and he’ll get his opportunity if he’s ‘A1’ on Saturday,” Hayes said.
“He’s probably going to be the fittest horse in Australia, backing up three Saturdays in a row but he’s a big, strong colt and we think he can cop it.”
Apulia started his spring campaign with a 1500m maiden win at Cranbourne in August but steadily improved with racing and as the distances increased.
“We’ve always thought, especially being by Fiorente, that he’d stay all day,” Hayes said.
“He just increased our confidence with the way he won on the weekend.”
Moonee Valley Vase runner-up Verdad, trained by Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock, has support, along with Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young’s Sunsets and Andrew Gluyas-trained Air Assault.
The biggest threat in the Derby is the Chris Waller-trained Riff Rocket, who is aiming to give the stable its third Victoria Derby in 10 years.
Riff Rocket was a brilliant winner at Flemington two starts back when he gapped the field to win the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m) by five and a half lengths.
A son of American Triple Crown and G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic (2000m) winner American Pharoah, Riff Rocket was virtually an unbackable favourite at his next start at Caulfield in the G3 Caulfield Classic (2000m) but was defeated.
He was seen as the victim among a small field of seven runners in a muddling tempo that diminished his explosive finish and went down narrowly to Sunsets.
Waller, who claimed the Victoria Derby with Preferment in 2014 and Manzoice in 2022, is confident Riff Rocket will bounce back.
“He certainly likes Flemington. We need him to replicate his run here two starts ago to be a threat in the Derby on Saturday,” Waller said.
“I think conserving energy over the 2500m distance is the key, he’s certainly got a great turn of foot when called upon and I’m sure he can put the last-start defeat behind us.”
And Young has warned not to discount Sunsets causing another upset.
“He’ll definitely get further,” Young said.
“This is the most relaxed colt you’ll come across. He goes to sleep in the stalls and gets here on race day and doesn’t work himself up. He brings his A-game.
“Don’t you love it when you’ve got a live Derby chance?”
