Better Track Conditions Key to Derby

The Informant reports:

Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards are hoping improved track conditions will boost their chances of a second consecutive Vodafone New Zealand Derby triumph.

The Te Akau trainers won the $1 million Ellerslie classic 12 months ago with Gingernuts, and this year they will saddle Mongolianconqueror.

The Ocean Park gelding was a fast-finishing second in the Gr. 2 Waikato Guineas, but dipped in the TAB's fixed-odds market following his dull seventh in the Gr. 2 Avondale Guineas.

That disappointing performance was put down to the Slow8 track conditions. Ellerslie is rated Dead4 this morning, and while there are showers in the forecast through the rest of today, Derby day is forecast to be mostly fine and 26 degrees.

“We're putting his Avondale Guineas performance down to the slow track,” Richards said this week.

“He'll be much more at home on better ground on Saturday. We're very pleased with how he's trained on. He's lovely and relaxed, and the more we've done with him, the more relaxed he's become. That's a big positive when you're stretching out to 2400 metres.

“With Opie Bosson in Melbourne to ride Embellish, Michael McNab will ride Mongolianconqueror. He does a lot much work for us at the track, and David Ellis likes to support guys who put in that effort for us.”

Mongolianconqueror will jump from gate two and is rated a $12 chance. Danzdanzdance has tightened her hold on favouritism at $3.50, while Mission Hill has moved from $7 in to $5.50.

Mongolian conqueror was a $130,000 purchase at the 2016 Ready to Run Sale by Te Akau principal David Ellis, in partnership with the Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry and is raced by them with a small team of other Te Akau owners.

The Rider Horse Group, headed by Lang Lin, is chasing a second New Zealand Derby victory to go with Mongolian Khan's in 2015.