A sensational opening heat of the Group One Newcastle Herald National Derby will set the scene for a mouth-watering afternoon’s racing at The Gardens on Friday.
Four heats of the National Derby for the males and three heats of the Nexia Court & Co National Futurity for bitches will be held, with several leading Derby fancies to clash in the star-studded first run-off – race two at 3.24pm.
Lochinvar Marlow finished a close-up second to Elite Blue Size in the Group Two Gosford Gold Cup at his most recent appearance and astute trainer Robert Smith has made no secret of the fact the Derby has been a long-term target.
Lochinvar Marlow has won six of his eight starts and has been beaten just once in five appearances at The Gardens, but the quality of his opposition on Friday means he cannot make a mistake.
The exciting Outa Credit hasn’t started since October due to injury and while high-flying trainer Reg Kay has been racing against time to get his boom sprinter ready for the Derby, Kay’s nous combined with seven wins from nine starts ensures he must be afforded the utmost respect.
Throw Darren McDonald’s Silent Guardian, which has won his last two starts at The Meadows and started favourite in the Group One Hobart Thousand last month, into the mix and you’ve got a rip-snorting start to the time-honoured Derby series.
The second Derby heat is also a ripper, with Reg Kay’s Gosford Gold Cup hero Elite Blue Size drawn in the rails and his rivals including Bogie Brave (box eight), which claimed Take The Kitty’s scalp in a Gosford Cup heat and another Victorian raider from the powerful Darren McDonald kennel in Octane Show (box two).
Heat three of the Derby is a very open affair, while the main chances in the final qualifier look to be Group One Vic Peters Classic winner Dancing Surf (box six), Group Two Dapto Auction Classic winner Jedd Lion (box one), Hooky Booky (box seven) and Monday night’s 30.00s Wentworth Park winner Tuiaki (box eight).
Three heats of the National Futurity will also be run and won on Friday with Sam Sultana’s promising Odessa Shiraz the one to beat in the opening run-off. Drawn in the rails, Odessa Shiraz has won seven of her 10 starts, including three from four at The Gardens.
Box one also gives Pink Surprise a strong chance in the second heat, while Greta Bale (box seven) is also a leading contender based on two recent runaway Richmond successes, while the major players in the final heat include Priminate (box two), Zambola Bale (box four) and Shirl’s Magic (box seven).