AUTHOR: TONY MILANESE – HARNESSLINK
Outstanding gelding Palladium looked most impressive when he took out the third heat of the Victoria Pacers Derby at Melton on Saturday night.
Drawn the pole, Palladium was beaten for speed early by Nymbal, who had outsprinted him in the Carousel at Menangle a few weeks earlier.
However, Robert Morris on Nymbal grabbed hold to take the trail as Palladium surged to the lead. It was obvious the two were going to fight out the finish as they cleared away on the final bend, although Dynamite Dan was finishing strongly out wide.
But even when Nymbal used the inside lane to issue his challenge in the home straight, there was to be no repeat of the Carousel, with Palladium easily holding off the challenge of Nymbal. Dynamite Dan also lost no admirers with his third-place finish.
Driver Nathan Jack was fulsome in his praise of Palladium.
“He had a good trip, but gee he done it easy and he’s quite lazy in front he’s got great manners, which is going to keep him in good stead obviously for the final because you can use him off the gate and he’ll relax.
“And they can’t afford to get keen over the trip. But 26.4 (for his final quarter) and I reckon he could have probably gone a fraction quicker.”
Jack was driving for trainer Brad Hewitt, who is still out of the country.
“I Hope his plane gets held up on the way home from Nashville,” joked Jack.
“But I seen him in Queensland, and to do what he done in Queensland against them ones was very eye-catching that’s for sure. And the camp got a pretty big opinion of him and I can see why.”
Raced by Mick Boots, Palladium created a huge impression when winning the Queensland Derby. However, being New Zealand-bred, he is ineligible to contest the Eureka at Menangle on November 21, as is Nymbal.
Enjoy Life (Always B Miki), who had been beaten only once in his previous 10 starts, showed plenty of grit to take out the first heat, albeit narrowly.
Patiently driven by Mark Pitt, Enjoy Life was not bustled up early from his second-line draw and settled with only a few runners behind him.
Over the testing 2760-metre trip, favourite Cardigan Dan was inclined to race keenly in front, with Soho Charmer racing alongside him in the breeze.
Despite having the harder run, Soho Charmer swept to the front. However, Enjoy Life, who had sustained a three-wide run from the back straight, gradually drew clear before just holding off the fast-finishing stablemate Mount Barker Boy. Ruggards Gee Tee finished third.
Emma Stewart secured her second Derby heat win when Brooklyn Dan (Captain Crunch), who enjoyed the run of the race behind the leader, finished too strongly in the second heat to overwhelm Soho Trump, who had attempted to lead all the way.
Winning driver Cameron Hart attributed Brooklyn Dan’s relaxed manner to his success.
“He was great in the run. He really relaxed nicely, which is probably the key to these races when they’re stepping up in trip and don’t race this sort of distance that often, these young horses. That was probably the key to winning. It was a pretty pedestrian sort of pace early. He just travelled really nicely for me, and gave a good kick when he got in the clear.
“Obviously, if you can get through to the final with the softest run possible it always helps that’s for sure. And to do it two weeks in a row of this trip is a big ask on him, so I was really happy for the trip that we were able to get tonight.
“He’s good up on the pace but he’s pretty versatile. You can drive him with a sit or he’s quite a game horse as well, so he can lead. So he’s pretty nice to drive that way.”
Next week’s final is shaping as a keenly contested affair. On the strength of his win, Palladium is likely to start favourite, but Enjoy Life, Brooklyn Dan and Nymbal will keep him honest.
