WEISSMULLER
3 g Handsome Ransom - Belongs In Lights
Breeder: T Heptinstall & T Pivac
Owner: T Heptinstall, T Pivac, D Platt, Hivon Syndicate, Sold Out Syndicate & M Cummings
Trainer: John Kiernan
Jockey: Johnathon Parkes
4 starts
2 wins
0 seconds
0 thirds
Major races:
1st Wellington Stakes G3
Best replay to watch:
Wellington Stakes, Trentham, 19 January
http://www.nzracing.co.nz/RaceInfo/4...ce-Detail.aspx
Derby odds: 8.00 (3rd fav)
+ His two wins have been absolutely breathtaking performances
+ His two unplaced performances have been in races where the tempo didn't really suit his style - the Derby is more likely to be suitable
+ Full-brother to Travolta, 5th in the Derby last year, and connections believe he's better
- Even if the races weren't run to suit, he finished further back than you'd like to see in those other two races. If he'd run a similar race to the ones he produced in his wins, there's no way he'd have finished so far back in those other two. So there's a real element of inconsistency in his performance.
- He's never raced the Ellerslie way around before.
The real enigma of the Derby trail this year. Is the dominant Wellington Stakes winner the real Weissmuller, or is the distantly beaten effort in the Waikato Guineas a more accurate reflection of his true ability? It's really too soon to say. But if he's as good as he looked at Wellington, he's going to be a huge chance in the Derby.