Tuesday’s release of Victoria Derby nominations contained two colts from the Lindsey Smith stable and the pair justified their payment fee 24 hours later at Flemington on Wednesday.
Adelaide Ace ($6) won the $60,000 AAMI Victoria Derby Trial (1800m) while stablemate Olympic Oath ($6.50) ran an eye-catching fifth, 2.35 lengths behind his stablemate.
Both horses will head towards the Gr.1 AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 2 with Smith undecided about the pathway towards their target.
“I’m a one-race-at-a-time man, I don’t get too far ahead of myself because it leads to disappointment,” Smith said.
“He (Adelaide Ace) had a bit of improvement. He did a bit of work (in the run), had a bit of cover and then kept trying to find the line.
“He looks like he’ll run the journey. His coat still hasn’t come out yet so he’s got past the first hurdle.
“The jockey (John Allen) was quite keen to ride him after his jumpout at Ararat so that’s pleasing.
“The other horse (Olympic Oath) was bottled up on the fence and he’s a big bowling, goofy sort of horse. I thought his run wasn’t too bad and once he gets over 2000 metres and further he’ll come into his own.”
Smith prepared the winner of the Victoria Derby in 2004 when Plastered defeated Adelaide Ace’s sire, Savabeel, and Count Ricardo.
Bred by Gartshore Bloodstock, Adelaide Ace was purchased via New Zealand Bloodstock’s online auction house gavelhouse.com by respected Australian bloodstock agent John Foote.
Foote went to $110,000 to secure the son of Savabeel as a weanling.
Out of the Pins mare Ampin, a half-sister to Group Three winner Strike The Stars and three other stakes performers, Adelaide Ace is a full brother to Group Three placed mare Savy Yong Blonk.
“He was a strong type and moved well,” Foote said.
“I actually bought him for Darren Weir and I thought he was good buying.”
In the same gavelhouse auction Foote also purchased Ampin in foal to Savabeel for what was a record price of $211,000 at the time.
“They were the first horses I bought off gavelhouse,” Foote said.
“Savy Yong Blonk was just being broken in at the time and I bought the mare for some friends of mine.
“The mare had a Savabeel colt and he is now a two-year-old that has gone to Tony Gollan.”
The bloodstock agent was also responsible for sourcing the dam of Victoria Oaks Trial (1800m) winner Celestial Falls, the Dalakhani mare Rippled, who is also the dam of Greysful Glamour, who finished second in last year’s Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m).
“I also bought a filly by Ocean Park called Ocean Miss that ran fourth behind Celestial Falls, so it has been a good day. She was held up and I thought it was a really good run,” Foote said.
