On a day Derryn bids to stamp himself as a Golden Rose contender in Sydney, a couple of Lindsay Park’s other three-year-old spring hopefuls begin their campaigns in Melbourne.
Derryn impressed with his recent fast-finishing win at Caulfield and is favourite for his first run in Sydney in Saturday’s Group Three Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) at Randwick.
Tom Dabernig, who trains in partnership with David and Ben Hayes under the Lindsay Park banner, says the colt has done well since his win and believes he can measure up.
“Taking on their horses on their home turf, it’s never easy, but I think he’s the sort of horse that could do it,” Dabernig said.
“And I know whatever he does on Saturday he’ll take improvement from and you’d think he’d only be better for having the race up there.”
At Moonee Valley, stakes winner Zamzam resumes in a fillies race while the stable has two runners in the Listed Mckenzie Stakes including Dam Ready who Dabernig believes is in for a good spring.
“It’s always hard to compare horses in your stable, but I think he’s one of our better three-year-olds,” Dabernig said.
Dam Ready won at Moonee Valley in February and has been gelded since the Adelaide Magic Millions in March.
“His conformation in front isn’t the best and he was a heavy-topped horse,” Dabernig said.
“So we thought to give him his best chance as a three-year-old, it would be as a gelding.”
Rampage also runs in the Mckenzie and Dabernig says there is improvement in him from his first-up seventh behind Derryn.
“He does seem to have come on well, but I’d probably lean to Dam Ready of the two,” he said.
The classy Zamzam was placed in the Group One Blue Diamond Stakes while both her wins have been at Moonee Valley.
“As a two-year-old she was a little bit green and a bit delicate and raw. I think she’s definitely come together and is a bit more seasoned,” Dabernig said.
“She’s not the sort of horse that works like you’d be going to the races and be highly confident on her work, but that’s what she was like when she was winning as a two-year-old.”
