Kiwi Preferred in Gr.1 Victoria Derby

Kiwi three-year-old Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel) asserted his staying strength with victory in the Group 1 A$1,500,000 AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Preferment (NZ) winning the Group 1 AAMI Victoria Derby on Saturday.

The son of the great sire Zabeel, Preferment continues the impressive record of Kiwi three-year-olds in Australia – 40% of Derbies have been won by New Zealand bred horses in the past five seasons.

Trained by ex-pat kiwi Chris Waller, Preferment was purchased for NZ$190,000 last year at the Karaka Premier Sale by Guy Mulcaster with classic three-year-old races in mind for the colt.

“We bought these horses from Karaka to target races like this and he was the most forward of the staying types,” commented Mulcaster. “Chris gave him a run as a two-year-old before putting him out for a spell to aim towards the Derby.

“He was an outstanding type, we were pretty lucky he didn’t make as much at auction as we thought he would make. He was a really nice horse and we are lucky to have secured him.”

Despite being a maiden, Preferment had indicated he was capable of winning the 2500m classic with a late finishing second placing in the Listed Geelong Classic.

Leading rider Damien Oliver had Preferment running just beyond mid-field in the capacity sized race. The pair were the widest runner entering the straight and surged down centre track, hitting the front inside the last 100m and proving superior to win by a head.

“The trip was always going to suit the Zabeel factor,” said Mulcaster. “His runs leading up had been very good, he had been unlucky on three occasions out of his five starts. He sat three-wide on two occasions at Canterbury and was entitled to give up but he really found the line and that is probably the courage that came out on Saturday.”

Saturday’s first victory took Preferment’s prizemoney earned to $942,905 for owners Mrs L F Huddy, Woppitt Bloodstock, Mr I Bruce, Mr G L Huddy, Magic Bloodstock Racing, Mr R Smith, Mr B L Mathieson, Mr K H Warriner, Mr J T C Lake, Mr F W Cook, Mrs C M Cook & G G Ltd.

Bred by Sir Patrick & Lady Hogan, Mrs B M & L J Anselmi & Mrs H M & M J Moran, Preferment is out of Flying Spur mare Better Alternative who is already the dam of Group 3 winner Rezoned (Zabeel) – the full-sister to Preferment. He is from the family of Group 1 winner Ancient Song (Canny Lad).

Waller had, earlier in the day, won the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes with Kermadec (NZ) (Teofilo), another colt purchased at the 2013 Karaka Premier Sale. Waller also trained Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) to win the Group 1 Coolmore Stakes on the day.