Derby Start Hinges On Big Showing
22 March, 2018
Thoroughbred
Fresh from winning yesterday’s Rangeview Stud Classic with Abdicator at Bunbury, Darren McAuliffe now has his sights firmly set on recording another three-year-old Listed race victory with The Big Show to line up in Saturday’s J.C. Roberts Stakes (1800m) at Ascot.
The Frost Giant gelding will be looking to enhance his credentials for next month’s WA Derby in Saturday’s $100,000 event, and McAuliffe said he expected a strong showing despite missing the Lex Piper Stakes on March 10.
“He didn’t need to go in that race,” McAuliffe said.
“He had a little bit of tenderness in one foot so we elected to bypass it.
“We’ve left him at home and he strips a lot fitter.”
The Big Show last started at Ascot on February 21 where he defeated Outspoken Duke in a mid-week Class One race over 1600m.
Joseph Azzopardi retains the ride on The Big Show from barrier one, the same barrier he rode the galloper to victory from last start.
McAuliffe said it had been a battle to keep The Big Show sound this campaign, and as a result he has added bar shoes on the off side fore leg for the first time this weekend.
“We have put some bar shoes on his front feet just to control some of the movement,” he said.
“We thing we are on top of him, but you are never 100% sure.
“We are at a T-junction with him, if he performs with bar shoes he will head to the Derby, if he doesn’t then we will freshen him up and come back for Belmont.”
McAuliffe will also learn a lot more about another of his promising young gallopers on Saturday, with Rebel Knight in the Magic Millions Plate (1200m) for the two-year-olds.
Rebel Knight, who finished fourth to Nocelle on debut in November, has been installed a $3.60 second favourite for the $70,000 event behind the Adam Durrant-trained Magic Planet.
McAuliffe said the full brother to multiple Stakes winner Rebel King would need to win on Saturday to justify a start in the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) on April 14.
“I couldn’t be happier with Rebel Knight,” he said.
“They will see a good horse on Saturday.
“If he doesn’t get it done, then he is not a Karrakatta horse.
“He has a massive aerobic capacity and we run a heck of a lot further.”
The Ascot meeting gets underway with the Magic Millions Plate at 1.18pm on Saturday.
Tim Walker