Kovalica (NZ) Dominant in Queensland Derby

An amazing season for three-year-old Karaka graduates in Australia has kept rolling on, thanks to a breathtaking performance by Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park) in Saturday’s A$1m Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm.

Bought for $110,000 by Mulcaster Bloodstock at Karaka 2021, Kovalica has now won six of his nine starts and more than A$1.1m in prize-money. Saturday’s runaway Derby win made him the seventh three-year-old Karaka graduate to win at Group One level in Australia this season.

Prior to Kovalica’s win in the Queensland Derby, the other Group One triumphs came from Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ) (Redwood) in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m), Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) in the Australian Guineas (1600m), Prowess (NZ) (Proisir) in the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m), Affaire A Suivre (NZ) (Astern) in the Australasian Oaks (2000m), Ruthless Dame (NZ) (Tavistock) in the Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) and Dunkel (NZ) (Dundeel) in the South Australian Derby (2500m).

Kovalica’s trainer Chris Waller had been working towards the Queensland Derby ever since the rising star scored a smart victory in the Group Three Grand Prix (2100m) in December. The six months in between times produced both ups and downs, from an astonishing come-from-behind win in the Group Two Queensland Guineas (1600m) to a minor hoof issue that forced him to be scratched from the Group Three Rough Habit Plate (2000m) two weeks before the Derby.

But Waller was able to come up with a back-up plan, running Kovalica against top-class older opposition in last week’s Group One Doomben Cup (2000m) and coming away with a highly creditable third placing.

Back against his own age group on Saturday, Kovalica was in a league of his own.

“He had the perfect preparation earlier in the season, having won over 2100 metres prior to Christmas,” Waller said. “He had that little hiccup two weeks ago, but we didn’t panic and gave him that extra run.

“James (McDonald, jockey) gave him a faultless ride today, and once he hit the front, I knew he’d be all right.”

Kovalica was hot favourite for the Queensland Derby at $1.70, and McDonald rode him accordingly. After initially taking up a spot in midfield, he angled out with 1000 metres remaining and began to stride forward. While many of his rivals were being urged for more, Kovalica was advancing with ease.

Kovalica burst to the lead at the top of the straight and powered clear, and despite being eased down by McDonald in the closing stages, he still had a two-length margin up his sleeve at the finish line.

“It was lovely,” McDonald said. “Everything worked out really well. He got into a beautiful rhythm from the moment I left the stalls up to about the 1000, when I thought, ‘Well, it’s his time to do a little bit of work. He’s here to shine’. So I put him into a spot where he was exposed, and then he floated into the race from there, and he did the rest. He was waiting for me to push the button at the top of the straight.”

Kovalica was bred by Nearco Stud and is by Ocean Park (NZ) out of Vitesse (NZ) (Makfi), a half-sister to three-time Australian Group One winner (The) Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux). This family also produced the recent Group Three Championship Stakes winner Cheval D’Or (NZ) (Almanzor), who is a half-sister to Vitesse and The Bostonian and is being set for the Group One Queensland Oaks (2200m) later in the carnival.

Vendor	Curraghmore
Purchaser	Mulcaster Bloodstock (Auckland)
Breeding	Ocean Park – Vitesse
Sale	Lot 205, Karaka 2021 Book 1, $110,000
Bred by	Nearco Stud Limited