Down the Road (NZ) to consider AJC Derby

02/03/2009

Having been narrowly nosed out of victory in Sunday’s Gr.1 NZ$2.2 million Telecom NZ Derby by the Aussie raider Coniston Bluebird, the tough Danroad 3YO Down The Road (NZ) could look to square the ledger with a trip across the Tasman this season.

Owned by Hong Kong man Derek Wong Siu Ming and managed by Mr Hung Kwokhing, Down The Road (NZ) had looked the winner early in the straight in the Gr.1 feature, but to Coniston Bluebird’s credit, the race was far from over.

Duelling to the line, the Bede Murray-trained Coniston Bluebird eventually fared the better of the two, dropping his head at just the right time to ensure a thrilling nose victory. “It was just so close,” said Bloodstock Agent, Paul Beamish, who sourced the horse for Mr Hung.

“It was pretty deflating, but when you see how Down The Road was in-front a stride before and after the post, you come to realise what a huge effort it really was”.

Whilst still unconfirmed, Down The Road’s (NZ) Hong Kong connections have indicated they are interested in considering a possible trip to Sydney to target the Gr.1 David Jones AJC Derby (2400m) at Randwick on April 11.

“They are definitely prepared to look at a trip to Sydney, but we will just have to see how the horse comes through the race first. We will freshen him up for a couple of weeks and then we’ll work backwards to see if the logistics work” said Beamish. “With Nom Du Jeu and C’est la Guerre both coming out of the race last year, the NZ Derby has become a really good form race, so with this in mind Sydney’s got to be a serious target, assuming the horse pulls up alright”

Down The Road (NZ) has to date won three of his nine career starts, including a win over Coniston Bluebird in the Gr.2 ARC Championship Stakes (2100m). These wins combined with the three additional placings registered by the Michael McClennan-bred galloper have ensured $492,000 in earnings.

Instrumental to Sunday’s bold showing was the training deeds Ken Kelso and Thomas Russell.

“Ordinarily when a horse is sold to Hong Kong, it departs the stable shortly thereafter. But in this case, Kelso asked me whether I thought his new owner would consider letting him stay for the NZ Derby,” explained Beamish. “He said he believed the horse was capable of going all the way and would be a serious Derby contender. Armed with this opinion and with the $2.2 mil stake on offer, the decision was then made for the horse to stay a bit longer.