New Zealand trainer John Wheeler wound the clock back nearly 20 years when tough stayer Court Ruler gave him his second $500,000 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm on Saturday.Wheeler won his first Derby with his champion Rough Habit in 1990 and the New Plymouth trainer said he was always confident Court Ruler could win the Classic."It's always nice to win Group Ones but it's especially nice to win another one at Eagle Farm," Wheeler said."I galloped him between races at Doomben on Wednesday and he
New Zealand trainer John Wheeler wound the clock back nearly 20 years when tough stayer Court Ruler gave him his second $500,000 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Wheeler won his first Derby with his champion Rough Habit in 1990 and the New Plymouth trainer said he was always confident Court Ruler could win the Classic.
"It's always nice to win Group Ones but it's especially nice to win another one at Eagle Farm," Wheeler said.
"I galloped him between races at Doomben on Wednesday and he worked really well and I thought from then on he would be very hard to beat.
"He's a tough horse, he ran fourth in the New Zealand Derby and he will get better with age."
Former Sydney rider and New Zealand expatriate Larry Cassidy rode a patient race to win his third Queensland Derby after he won the blue riband on Dodge in 1998 and Freemason in 2000.
Cassidy bought Court Ruler ($9) with a well-timed run in the straight to nab Shocking ($4.80 fav) in the shadows of the post to score a long neck win.
Larry's Never Late ($7.50) battled on strongly after securing an inside run and finding the lead shortly after straightening to finish a long neck back in third.
Cassidy said he went into the race supremely confident Court Ruler could provide him with his third Queensland Derby.
"I told John he'd win the Derby after his last run at Doomben," Cassidy said.
"He raced really well that day without any luck and John had him in great shape today.
"We put the blinkers on him to spark him up and make him race truly and everything worked out perfectly."
Shocking's rider Michael Rodd said the horse would have won clearly had the track been dry.
"He wasn't at home in the surface. He wins clearly on a dry track," Rodd said.
"They really went along early which was perfect for him but he kept wanting to turn left every time we got to a corner.
"He'll be a serious horse come springtime."
Sydney galloper Bid Spotter was never closer than three deep and his rider Jim Cassidy was lucky to stay aboard when the horse was checked as he tired and went back through the field passing the 600m.