He may well be a Western Australian but with horses contesting
He may well be a Western Australian but with horses contesting two of Sydney’s Group 1 feature races, Trevor Delroy will be helping fly the Victorian flag at Randwick on Saturday.
The renowned WA owner and breeder, of Wyadup Valley Farm fame, will be represented by the Pat Carey-trained pair of Ethiopia in the $2 million Group 1 BMW Doncaster Mile (1600m) and Gondokoro in the $550,000 Group 1 Patinack Farm Australian Oaks (2400m).
Delroy is particularly bullish about the prospects of Gondokoro, and said the lightly-raced filly had taken enormous benefit from her most recent run, when a fast-finishing fourth behind Norzita in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill.
“Gondokoro ran fourth in the Vinery the other day and she has done very well since the race so she is definitely on the up,” Delroy said.
“She was strong on the line the other day, she hit a bit of a soft patch just after entering the straight but she was very strong on the line and is bred to run the journey.”
The daughter of Zabeel fared well in today’s Oaks barrier draw and will jump from gate five with regular partner Rhys McLeod aboard.
Group 1 New Zealand Derby heroine Habibi heads the TAB market at $2.60 after drawing barrier three while Clarry Conners’ Crown Oaks winner Dear Demi (6) is a $5 chance.
Fellow Victorian Summerbliss, trained by Mick Kent, will start from barrier eight alongside Chris Waller’s impressive weekend winner Royal Descent (9).
Delroy admitted it would take a remarkable performance from both horse and trainer for last year’s Australian Derby winner Ethiopia to defeat a crack field in Sydney’s premier mile race but said the horse had done well since the spring.
Ethiopia and fellow Victorian Glass Harmonium line-up in Saturday’s $2 million Doncaster Mile, which has attracted no less than 13 individual Group 1 winners including Pierro, Shoot Out and Happy Trails.
“We’ve had issues with that horse, especially after the Melbourne Cup, but he had to have a run in the autumn and he’s done well,” Delroy said.
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