The Peter and Will Hulbert training partnership will have last start winner Criminal Defence in the Group 1 Queensland Derby line-up at Eagle Farm on Saturday and the stable is relishing the prospect of taking up the challenge at the elite level.
Criminal Defence stunned punters by winning the Group 3 Rough Habit last time where he returned a tote win dividend of $100.40 on the local tote. (His official starting price was $71). That was the son of Nicconi’s first effort at 2000m after building up steadily in distance in his previous starts, going from 1660m to 1845m to the 2000m.
“The Rough Habit was the stable’s first Group race win,” said Peter Hulbert. “The fact that my son and I are in a training partnership made it all the more special, of course.
And the stable believe he has come on since then.
“He’s come on an absolute treat since the Rough Habit,” said Hulbert.
“Will and Adin Thompson, our apprentice, rode him in work this morning and both were impressed with his work. They said it was better lead-up work than the lead-up work to the Rough Habit.
“We are going into unknown territory at the 2400m, but Michael Rodd, who rode him in the Rough Habit, was very confident that he wouldn’t have any trouble getting the 2400m.
“He was very impressive the other day. I don’t think there was any fluke about his win. It was a slowly run race … I’ll admit that … and that probably suited us. If it is a stronger tempo on Saturday, it might well find us out, but we are going to go in with our tail in the air and we’ll have a crack.
“Michael (Rodd) is crook. He can’t ride him this time because he has to have a short layoff, but we’ve been fortunate to be able to get Jye McNeil to ride him.
“So, we’ve gone from one Melbourne Cup winning jockey to another and we are not going to lose anything by having Jye on him, that’s for sure.
Criminal Defence is being shown more respect in the betting this time around currently being marked up on the fifth line of betting at $15.
Market đź’°: View the Odds for the Queensland Derby
