Quality staying three-year-old Explosive Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry) landed his third Derby in a matter of months, when proving a class above his rivals when taking out the Gr.1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained gelding was sent out favourite for the South Australian Derby after landing last month’s Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick, having also won the Listed Tasmanian Derby (2200m) in February.
The tough as teak New Zealand bred has improved with every start, winning five of his eight career assignments with a further two placings, having made multiple interstate trips since winning on debut at Swan Hill in November.
A delighted Ciaron Maher has not ruled out a trip to Brisbane for the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm in three weeks following Saturday’s victory, potentially aiming to join Dayana (1972-73 season) in winning four Derbys.
Already the first triple Derby winner in Australia since Stormy Rex (Vic, SA, WA) in 1977-78 season, Explosive Jack provided jockey John Allen his fourth win in the race in six years, winning by 2-½ lengths from stablemate Let’s Karaka Deel (NZ) (Dundeel) with Noble Heights (Fiorente) 2-¾ lengths off third.
“He’s a tough horse,” Maher said.
“The team have managed him really well. He’s been to all our locations and you never know he may end up in Queensland yet.
“He certainly didn’t look like he was slowing down today.”
Runner-up Let’s Karaka Deel continued his run of second placings in his three outings this campaign and like the winner, was sourced at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales at Karaka.
“I didn’t think there was a lot between them but I just thought Jack was a little bit stronger,” Maher said.
“The other horse (Let’s Karaka Deel), when he furnishes, is going to be a really nice horse as well and the blinkers obviously helped him.”
Allen said the South Australian Derby had certainly been a good race for him.
He won his first Group One when successful on Howard Be Thy Name in 2016 before Volatile Mix scored in 2017 then Russian Camelot last year.
“It’s obviously a great training performance by Ciaron, David and all his team, to take the horse to Tasmania, to peak in Sydney and peak again here,” Allen said.
“It was messy early but we were three-wide with cover and they went very slow, but I was able to flow into it and when he cruised up to them on the turn, I knew the one thing I didn’t have to worry about was running out the trip.”
Explosive Jack was purchased by Peter Moody, who was taking a break from training at the time, for $100,000 out of the draft of Luigi Muollo’s Novara Park at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale at Karaka.
A half-brother to Pick Number One, the Champion Griffin in Hong Kong in 2017-18, Explosive Jack is the second stakes-winners from as many to race out of Extra Explosive.
A daughter of Ekraar, Extra Explosive won the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) and is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Explosive Dance, the dam of the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Vin de Dance.
Explosive Jack is raced by a syndicate headed by Mick and Alise Johnston, who shared in the ownership of his Globe-trotting Group One winning sire Jakkalberry.
The son of Storming Home stood at Novara Park for four seasons before his premature death from a gut infection. Runner-up Let’s Karaka Deel was an $80,000 Karaka purchase from the draft of Wentwood Grange by Cameron Bennett’s Flying Start Syndications in conjunction with Pinhook Bloodstock’s Dave Mee.
