Celebrated trainer Chris Waller is relying on a time-honoured formula as he aims to secure his fourth victory in the Victoria Derby at Flemington.
Waller has two runners, Stormy Marco and True Tone, entered for Saturday’s 2500-metre Group 1 Classic, with each colt having followed a different route to the feature race.
Crucially, the lead-up races for both horses mirror those that have delivered Derby success for Waller in the past.
Preferment was the horse that provided Waller with his first Derby win in 2014.
Preferment experienced a narrow defeat in the Geelong Classic (2200m) before going on to achieve a comfortable win in the Derby.
After an initial maiden success at Warwick Farm, True Tone finished third in the Geelong Classic, encountering traffic issues late in the run.
“True Tone ran a place in the Geelong Classic, in the 2200-metre race, and that was a good test for him at his first run beyond a mile,” Waller remarked.
“It was a big step up, but it was a pass mark, and he’ll be ready to run 2500 metres on Saturday.
“He is in some ways similar to Preferment, although Preferment came through the Geelong Classic then won his maiden in the Victoria Derby before going on to win a number of Group 1 races afterwards.
“There’s a small similarity there.”
Stormy Marco, who is considered the more likely winner in the betting compared to his stablemate, is coming off the same race that Manzoice ran in before his 2022 Derby triumph.
Manzoice had finished eighth in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick, a week before his successful Derby campaign.
Stormy Marco claimed fourth place in that event last week, making ground from the rear of the field, and Waller confirmed the decision to send him to Melbourne was finalised on Sunday.
“His run was good in Sydney in the Spring Champion,” Waller commented.
“They have to be very fit to run the 2500 metres in the Victoria Derby, and he has that on his side, and his breeding suggests he can get the trip.
“He’s by Wootton Basset, an international sire, that continues to make headlines in the Northern Hemisphere and down here, so from that aspect, yes he can run the trip, on the dam side, there is enough there to suggest the distance shouldn’t be a problem.”
With the Victoria Derby on the horizon, punters can explore the latest racing odds at leading sports betting platforms.
