Leading trainer Adam Durrant will be out to strengthen his WA Derby hand when Secret Deploy lines up in the Belhus Racing Stables Handicap (1200m) at Ascot tomorrow.
The son of Dash For Cash won his only start at Belmont last August, where he fought off Success Play and Flower In The Wind over 1400m.
The three-year-old finished fourth in a Lark Hill trial last month and made significant ground over the concluding stages.
Just two days after Henchard put his name up as a key Derby candidate, Durrant said he was confident Secret Deploy would show why he’s a contender as well.
“He’s going really well,” Durrant told TABradio.
“I thought his trial was excellent.
“We anchored him in that trial, and he didn’t particularly like the first part of it.
“I thought he settled nicely later on in the trial, and nothing finished better than him.”
Cristal Dane ($3.30) heads up betting for the $60,000 event, ahead of How’s The Serenity ($4) and Special View ($4.80).
Secret Deploy is on the fourth line of betting at $6.
Despite the distance competitiveness of the race, Durrant said he was confident the gelding could keep his unbeaten record intact.
“I think 1200 is a bit short for him,” he said.
“I’m mindful of trying to head towards the Derby and those races with him that we need to teach him to settle.
“The better tempo should suit him so he can relax.
“I think if he doesn’t give them too much of a head start on straightening, he should be just about winning.”
Durrant said he was confident he could end the Ascot card on a winning note with Fashion Queen in the Fit To Travel Handicap (1600m).
Meanwhile, 2020 Railway Stakes winner Inspirational Girl will have to overcome the outside barrier if she’s to record a second Group 1 win in tomorrow’s C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
The mare has had just one start since her Railway Stakes triumph, a fifth placing in last year’s Memsie Stakes.
2019 Melbourne Cup winning trainer Danny O’Brien is overseeing the Peters Investments mare in Victoria.
