IZONIT
Colt
Volksraad - Label Basher

Starts: 11
1st: 1
2nd: 1
3rd: 1
Earnings: $39,375

3rd Levin Classic (G1)

PROS:
- Has proven his ability against the best with a G1 placing
- Has the breeding - full-brother to G1 winner Dezigna

CONS:
- Unplaced beyond a mile

HEZA KARMA KARZI
Colt
Choisir - Sutra

Starts: 11
1st: 1
2nd: 0
3rd: 2
Earnings: $23,253


PROS:
- The owners (Sutherland, Timpson & Walker) don't usually have only average horses.
- John Sargent is a top trainer of 3yos
- Ran 3rd in a stakes race over 2100m, so distance should be ok.

CONS:
- Maybe just a little bit behind in terms of class.

Slowly catching up on stuff... thanks for the update!

It might not change much from that. It doesn't sound like any of the horses outside the field are running this weekend, so they need withdrawals.

And there might be a couple - Juice could go to the Oaks instead, and Moveovr didn't look like a Derby horse AT ALL last Saturday when he was last in the Championship.

More news, Down The Road is owned in Hong Kong now and will be going there soon after the Derby. The HK Derby will be his target next year.

10 days to go, let's look at the odds...

Jungle Boots - 5.5
Le Baron - 6
Down The Road - 6
Coniston Bluebird - 7
My Scotsgrey - 7
Tell A Tale - 9
Easy Ryder - 13
Sufficient - 13
The Meista - 13
Gallant - 26
Late Addition - 26
The Spaniard - 26
Court Ruler - 31
Fears Nothing - 31
Heza Karma Karzi - 31
I Robot - 31
Izonit - 41
Juice - 61
Moveovr - 61
Spontaneous - 61
Sun Ruler - 81
Carchelo - 101
Diamond Glitter - 101
Brunel - 151

In my opinion...

Too high - Tell A Tale, Easy Ryder, Sufficient, The Meista, Gallant, Late Addition, The Spaniard

Too low - Coniston Bluebird, My Scotsgrey, Moveovr

Hope he gets to keep his name! :)

THE SPANIARD
Gelding
Storm Creek - Di Talento

Starts: 7
1st: 2
2nd: 0
3rd: 1
Earnings: $30,400


PROS:
- Can't deny the talent
- Was finishing as strongly as anything in the Championship (5th)

CONS:
- A bit of uncertainty about the distance.

BIG NEWS: Top-quality filly Puttanesca has been sold and new owner Y K Wong is paying the $70,000 late entry fee for the Derby. And the plan is still to go to the Oaks after that. Very tough, but they must think she can do it.

PUTTANESCA
Filly
Bertolini - Tesoro


Starts: 7
1st: 2
2nd: 1
3rd: 2
Earnings: $121,312

1st Royal Stakes (G2)
2nd Desert Gold Stakes (G2)
3rd Sir Tristram Fillies Classic (G2)
3rd Eulogy Stakes (G3)


Puttanesca winning the Royal Stakes at Ellerslie.

Videos:
Royal Stakes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSp68suaUPk

PROS:
Two races beyond a mile for a G2 win and G2 placing.

CONS:
This is a last-minute decision. Can she be at her peak for the Derby next week, when she was originally meant to be peaking for the Oaks two weeks later?

I like The Spaniard

Yeah, I think 25-1 is way too high for him.

Tell A Tale's obviously near his peak. Today he did a gallop between races with Red Ruler (G2 winner, placed in G1 AJC Derby in Sydney), and beat him by 3 lengths.

Good news. :)

Hey how are the odds on Sufficient right now?

12-1.

Some people are worried because in the last 2 weeks he's had to scratch from races because of wet tracks. The trainer says he'll be fit on Derby day though.

The weather forecast for Saturday is really bad. :( It's going to be fine all week, then rain comes along late on Friday night. Just like last year.

I hope it's wrong. The long-range forecasts often are.

The field:

1 11542 Tell A Tale (AUS) 1 56.0 Michael Walker Mark Walker, Matamata
2 31186 Le Baron 5 56.0 James McDonald (a) Donna, Dean Logan & Chris Gibbs, Ruakaka
3 15231 Down The Road 18 56.0 Michael Coleman Ken Kelso & Thomas Russell, Matamata
4 11353 Coniston Bluebird (AUS) 19 56.0 Scott Seamer Bede Murray, Kembla Grange
5 21322 The Meista 7 56.0 Chris Johnson Peter & Dawn Williams, Riccarton Park
6 87993 Spontaneous 15 56.0 Robert Priscott, Te Awamutu
7 83510 Court Ruler 10 56.0 John Wheeler, New Plymouth
8 27X37 My Scotsgrey 9 56.0 Noel Harris Shaune Ritchie, Cambridge
9 8211 Easy Ryder 12 56.0 Steven Arnold Roger James & Paul Mirabelli, Cambridge
10 16211 Jungle Boots 14 56.0 Vinnie Colgan Roger James & Paul Mirabelli, Cambridge
11 03570 Izonit 11 56.0 Troy Harris Vanessa & Wayne Hillis, Matamata
12 31444 I Robot 20 56.0 Craig Grylls (a) Mike & Paul Moroney, Matamata
13 06175 The Spaniard 2 56.0 Robert Hannam Adrian Bull, Hunterville
14 73431 Late Addition 3 56.0 Trudy Thornton Graeme & Mark Sanders, Te Awamutu
15 59X12 Sufficient 6 56.0 Leith Innes Bruce Wallace, Takanini
16 07535 Heza Karma Karzi (AUS) 21 56.0 Jason Waddell John Sargent, Matamata
17 62605 Juice 17 54.5 Chad Ormsby (a) John Wheeler, New Plymouth
18 38123 Puttanesca 8 54.5 Sam Spratt Vanessa & Wayne Hillis, Matamata
19 34138 Fears Nothing 16 56.0 David Haworth, Foxton
20 02910 Carchelo 13 56.0 Danica Guy, Matamata
21 3160 Diamond Glitter (AUS) 4 56.0 Yves Seguin, Cambridge

The top 18 will start. 17 of those 18 have either won or run 2nd or 3rd in a stakes race. Very strong field.

Odds:

Tell A Tale - 10
Le Baron - 9
Down The Road - 7.50
Coniston Bluebird - 9
The Meista - 12
Spontaneous - 41
Court Ruler - 41
My Scotsgrey - 9
Easy Ryder - 7
Jungle Boots - 6.50
Izonit - 51
I Robot - 41
The Spaniard - 21
Late Addition - 21
Sufficient - 14
Heza Karma Karzi - 41
Juice - 51
Puttanesca - 41

Fears Nothing - 51
Carchelo - 101
Diamond Glitter - 101

An old friend will lead out the field for the Derby...

http://www.thoroughbrednews.co.nz/nz....aspx?id=39244

:D

OH MY GOD THATS GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!! :) :{>: :tro:

Tell the rain to go away.

Nice blog by trainer Paul Moroney about his horse I Robot: http://www.nzracing.co.nz/JockeysAnd...icle.aspx/3135

"It’s all up to our tough little colt, the little dude with steely eyes and hopefully the mettle to win tomorrow’s Derby." :)

Awww, nice post.

Derby Day now on Sunday?

Stupid rain...

I didn't know he was out. :(