| R9 ELLERSLIE | 02 March 2019 |
| Nz Derby G1 3 OPEN ($961,000), 2400m 2:28.17 | |
| Race Synopsis: This G1 3yo NZ Derby (2400m) drew a capacity field but it looked a very suspect stamina line up indeed both breeding wise and form wise, so when the winner was the rank outsider Crown Prosecutor ($105) no one was really surprised.
The form of this age group all season has been very dubious in New Zealand as almost every 3yo that has performed well at Blacktype has then run an absolute shocker or flopped even more than once.
The headline was not that the winner was despised in the betting but the fact Crown Prosecutor is an Australian bred and in fact the quinella of the race was Australian bred, so where are the New Zealand bred stayers anymore?
The winners and where they turned for home in race order were fifth (five-off the fence and two lengths from the leader), eighth (two-off the inside and four lengths from the leader), led (length ahead and four-off the inside), third (five-off the inside and length and a half from the leader), fourth (six-off the inside and length and a half from the leader), twelfth (four-off the inside and four lengths from the leader), fourth (one-off the inside and length and a half from the leader), fifth (one-off the inside and three lengths from the leader), fourth (two-off the inside and a length from the leader) and led (one-off the fence and a neck in front).
Crown Prosecutor had been ordinary in his last two runs and looked the complete opposite of a stayer and in fact fell in at a mile the last time he won after leading up and walking.
Today he was on the pace early but ran about and caused some carnage after 400m then took the trail and was there until pushing out near the home turn and got through to second at the 300m.
The gelding led at the 100m and then fought the best to win by a head in 2:28.17 in one of the biggest boilovers in this race perhaps ever.
It was his second win in seven starts and he now has a G1 to go with a G3 mile win last November.
In A Twinkling, also Australian bred, settled back and wide and was ninth midrace before moving up fourth centre track and leading at the 300m.
The gelding once headed at the 100m fought hard but for the second time in two weeks went down narrowly at Group level over ground.
There was a length back to the strong finishing Platinum Invador that came from sixteenth turning for home and was having his third run in two weeks.
Arrogant battled on well for fourth after racing handy the outer and looked set to finish third until caught the final 25m.
Surely Sacred settled well back and was fourteenth midrace and then swept up deeper before the home turn to be seventh and the third widest runner.
The favourite was fifth at the 200m and fourth at 100m and tried hard but that surge could only be sustained for so long.
Bobby Dee again ran a rugged race after being wide then going up second and led turning for home.
Tolemac, the second outsider in the field, settled well back the inner but ran past many the run home and fought on well.
Prise De Fer copped a check after 400m caused by the winner and then after being wide got around and over sixth the outer at the 1400m.
He lost his place across the top in the middle column but fought on up the middle.
Vernanme got well back the inner then caused carnage coming off the inside across the top and it saw his rider get two massive suspensions.
In the space of 200m (700m to the 500m) Jason Waddell copped a 12 day suspension and then a 16 day suspension so has 28 days to think about his actions.
The big gelding Vernanme has upside galore but when ridden like this cannot show his real ability and he did well to run on for ninth but tactically was never ever a realistic possibility.
Cutadeel, the one-time Derby favourite, was poor in the lead up race but was better today and made a four-wide run across the top.
He may need some cushion or cut in the ground to really let go.
The Chosen One was checked after 400m and settled down worse than midfield and got checked at the 700m to be last turning for home.
He ran past seven rivals the run home and was not disgraced.
Swords Drawn battled on and is still a maiden so has some scope.
Sir Nate cannot stay after being midfield the inner not spending a penny more but unable to life the run home.
Botti was checked after 400m and settled well back and wide then improved across the top to fifth deep before the effort took a toll.
Sponge Bob was ordinary and clearly his G2 win prior at Te Rapa was purely due to manmade track bias.
More Wonder settled last and never got into the race and has become the most frustrating horse of the season when it comes to G1.
Nobu settled back then got checked at the 500m so can be forgiven.
This was a stamina-lite Derby and one of the lower rated runners prevailed in a field that lacked depth anyway, so the race is marked well below standard.
The time was nothing out of the ordinary on a Good3 track and it was a very messy race full of checks and chaos, so was one of the least clean Derby runnings.
The biggest slap is that Australian bred runners formed the quinella in the blue riband race of New Zealand and in a domain they have had dominance for decades but that has clearly changed.
Australian bred runners are now cleaning up at every level in New Zealand and in both sexes plus many of the main Syndicators are buying an awful lot of them and in the 2yo and 3yo races they seem the go too types now.
The 2019 G1 NZ Derby will not be anywhere near the top shelf runnings of the past and will need some remarkable performances out of the field to even lift its number to be anything of note as a mediocre second tier result.
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CROWN PROSECUTOR
JOCKEY: Craig Grylls
TRAINER: Stephen Marsh
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