Derby hopeful Rising Red set to resume at Moonee Valley
THE training partnership of Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young knows what it takes to win the Australian Derby and a rising stayer is set to resume at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Rising Red will endeavour to repeat the efforts of Tavago in the Australian Derby at Randwick during The Championships in April, but its lengthy campaign kicks off in the Simpson Construction Handicap where it’s likely to be well-supported in the betting.
The three-year-old son of Redwood has had a quick freshen up after running second at Sale in December and it drops back to a distance where it has won and placed from two starts.
Co-trainer Trent Busuttin said Rising Red will be targetted at one of three Derby races.
“He’s had a little let up as he had been up for awhile and was due a break at some stage,” Busuttin told horsebetting.com.au. “It’s just basically to give him a let up so we could get him going for the autumn.
“We want to get him in one of these staying three-year-old races – the Derby, whether it be New Zealand, Sydney or Adelaide.”
Busuttin isn’t doubting the ability of the three-year-old which has finished first or second at its last four starts at the mile or beyond.
“He’s top drawer. He’ll stay all day so there’s plenty of money to be earned,” Busuttin said.
As for the 2017 Australian Derby winner Tavago, Busuttin will trial the four-year-old before kicking off its autumn campaign in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes.
“He’s come up good, very happy with him,” Busuttin said. “He’s trialling next week and everything going well, he’ll be racing on the 25th in the Chipping Norton Stakes in Sydney, first up over the mile.”
Tavago has been nominated for the LONGINES Queen Elizabeth (2000m) and the Sydney Cup over 3200m, but Busuttin is veering towards the staying trip.
“The Sydney Cup is probably the go with him,” he added.
Another stable star nominated for The Championships features is Fastnet Rock colt Anaheim ($26 for the Derby) which looked better than average when winning the Listed Connoisseur Stakes at Flemington in November.
The three-year-old will resume next week before looking to emulate stablemate Tavago’s Australian Derby exploits of last season.
“He’s come up good. He had a couple of trials and has come up nicely,” Busuttin said.
“He’ll kick off next Wednesday at Sandown over 1400m, but he won’t be competitive until we get him up over more ground.
“We’ll probably head to the Derby. He’s out of a Zabeel mare, so it’s the logical option at this stage if he can step up.”
The Cranbourne-based stable will also line up three-year-old sprinter El Sicario at Moonee Valley on Friday night, which won its maiden by three lengths, but hasn’t put it all together since.
“He’s been pretty disappointing as a three-year-old,” Busuttin said. “He won his first start well, but he’s doing things upside down, he wants to go 100 miles per hour.
“We’ve taken the blinkers off him, running him over 955m and while it’s always nice to win, the main thing is for him to get run off his feet and hit the line.”