Australian Derby 2023 Field & Betting Markets: Sharp ‘N’ Smart Favourite

The Kiwis are tipped to reign supreme in Sydney on Saturday with Sharp ‘N’ Smart back down under as favourite for the Group 1 $2 million Australian Derby (2400m).

Sharp 'N' Smart | Photo: Steve Hart | Horseracing.com.au

Sharp ‘N’ Smart is favourite to win Sydney’s 2023 Australian Derby at Randwick on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

The New Zealanders have been enjoying a charmed run in Australia this autumn with a host of feature race victories going to horses from across the Tasman.

The punters are on another smart raider in the Australian Derby field with the trend set to continue at Royal Randwick.

The mile-and-a-half showdown is one of four Group 1 races held as part of Day 1 of The Championships.

Betting at Ladbrokes has the Graeme & Deborah Rogerson-trained Sharp ‘N’ Smart on top at $3.30.

The in-form son of Redwood may be drawn wide out in gate 17 of 18, but that has not stopped the bookies keeping him very safe in Australian Derby betting.

He is six from 11 to date including an earlier Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) victory at Randwick last October.

A second in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington followed in the spring before he returned home.

Returning in January for a Group 1 second over a mile fresh, Sharp ‘N’ Smart has won his last two elite level runs back home including saluting as the odds-on elect in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) on March 4.

He now chases the cross-Tasman Derby double with jockey Hugh Bowman aboard for the ride.

Quick Thinker (2020) and Jon Snow (2017) were the last New Zealand-trained ATC Derby winners, while the fellow Murray Baker-trained Mongolian Khan (2015) was the last to do the double Sharp ‘N’ Smart looks to complete this autumn.

Also hailing from New Zealand in Sydney for the ATC Derby on Saturday as a single-figure chance is Mark Twain paying $7.

The Shocking gelding, prepared at Cambridge by Roger James & Robert Wellwood, is bred to stay being by the 2009 Melbourne Cup champion.

He also had his final lead-up in the New Zealand Derby running just 2.2 lengths back fourth to Sharp ‘N’ Smart.

Mark Twain jumps from a favourable barrier five draw with Kerrin McEvoy riding this weekend in the rematch at Randwick.

The other three-year-old stayer at single-figure Australian Derby odds this autumn is the James Cummings-trained Pericles at $5.50 in gate six with ace hoop James McDonald aboard.

McDonald is after a second Australian Derby win having partnered yet another of Murray Baker’s Kiwi-trained champions, Dundeel, to victory back in 2013.

He was in the saddle of Street Boss gelding Pericles last time out when the recent Group 2 Autumn Classic winner finished a nose back second to Lindermann in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) on March 18.

Trainer Chris Waller has opted to drop his Rosehill Guineas winner Lindermann back in distance this weekend with the three-year-old up against the older gallopers on a light weight in the Group 1 $4 million Doncaster Mile (1600m).

Waller’s sole chance in the ATC Derby field then is his Victoria Derby winning Almanzor colt Manzoice who pays $13 to improve on his distant last start sixth in the Rosehill Guineas.

Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou’s Snitzel colt Williamsburg meanwhile is the other best out of the Rosehill Guineas up in distance for the Derby having run third and pays $21 to win on Saturday.

See below for the full Australian Derby 2023 final field and barriers.

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Probable Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 4x1112x211 SHARP ’N’ SMART (NZ) Graeme & Deborah Rogerson Hugh Bowman 17 56.5kg 112
2 219281×86 MANZOICE Chris Waller Michael Dee 14 56.5kg 103
3 x43227x174 ELLIPTICAL Anthony & Sam Freedman Mark Zahra 3 56.5kg 102
4 1238×412 PERICLES James Cummings James McDonald 6 56.5kg 100
5 85135×7453 WILLIAMSBURG Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou Ryan Maloney 12 56.5kg 93
6 4x549x4172 ANDALUS (NZ) Stephen Marsh Zac Purton 8 56.5kg 90
7 32189434 FULL OF SINCERITY (NZ) Andrew Forsman Damian Lane 16 56.5kg 88
8 10×633 JAPANESE EMPEROR (NZ) Michael Moroney Blake Shinn 1 56.5kg 86
9 01014 MARK TWAIN (NZ) Roger James & Robert Wellwood Kerrin McEvoy 5 56.5kg 86
10 54x2x11102 SUIZURO Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Joao Moreira 4 56.5kg 80
11 6154424231 TAPILDOODLEDO (NZ) Kerry Taplin 11 56.5kg 80
12 91x132x880 VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (NZ) Liam Howley Brett Prebble 18 56.5kg 80
13 13236×1142 MAJOR BEEL (NZ) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 15 56.5kg 78
14 59x411x077 HIGH APPROACH Archie Alexander Jordan Childs 10 56.5kg 75
15 133×9226 STROKE OF LUCK John O’Shea Tom Marquand 9 56.5kg 73
16 7×316 CHEVAL SAVANT Ciaron Maher & David Eustace John Allen 2 56.5kg 64
17 x536Lx5211 DOMINGO (NZ) John O’Shea Brenton Avdulla 13 56.5kg 62
18 413×171 TWIGMAN (NZ) Paul Shailer Luke Dittman 7 56.5kg 62

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

 

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