Exciting colt Extra Zero is working better leading into Saturday's AJC Australian Derby than he was before finishing runner-up in the Victorian Derby last spring.That's the opinion of his trainer David Hayes who believes Extra Zero will start over the odds in the 2400m Classic at Randwick.Extra Zero finished second to Monaco Consul in the Group One Victoria Derby (2500m) in November and Hayes said the colt was a much stronger horse this time around.Hayes has given him two starts over 2000m in th

Exciting colt Extra Zero is working better leading into Saturday's AJC Australian Derby than he was before finishing runner-up in the Victorian Derby last spring.

That's the opinion of his trainer David Hayes who believes Extra Zero will start over the odds in the 2400m Classic at Randwick.

Extra Zero finished second to Monaco Consul in the Group One Victoria Derby (2500m) in November and Hayes said the colt was a much stronger horse this time around.

Hayes has given him two starts over 2000m in the lead-up to the Derby with the colt finishing ninth in the Australian Cup and seventh in the Rosehill Guineas.

"I was very disappointed with his Australian Cup run," Hayes said.

"He got back in the field and lost interest, but I thought his run in the Rosehill Guineas was much better than it looked."

Extra Zero was having his first Sydney start in the Guineas and was beaten just over seven lengths by Derby favourite Zabrasive.

"He got lost a bit running backwards for the first time on the other leg, and actually when the race was nearly over he got on his right leg and made quite nice ground through to the post," Hayes said.

"I wish he had done it at the 400-metre mark but he didn't.

"It was `leaderish' that race, tempo-wise, and I think the way he's trained since then he's going better than he was going into the VRC Derby where he ran second."

Hayes also pointed to the Derby barrier draw as another reason for optimism that Extra Zero can turn his form around stepping up to 2400m.

He has drawn barrier five in the 15-horse field.

In his last three runs, in the Autumn Classic (1800m), Australian Cup and Rosehill Guineas, he started from barriers nine, 14 and nine respectively.

"He won the Autumn Classic nicely from the back of the field but he hasn't drawn many good barriers and has been getting back," Hayes said.

"I think on Saturday at that distance and that tempo, he'll race a lot closer and he stays, so he'll run well."

Hayes also has Legalistic backing-up in Saturday's Group One Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) after his 2-1/2-length fifth to Skilled in the Listed Baillieu Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill on Golden Slipper day.

Hayes thinks Legalistic will develop into a Caulfield Guineas horse in the spring.

Legalistic's jockey Brad Rawiller pressed forward instead of being caught wide in the Baillieu and Hayes said he didn't think it suited the horse on the day.

"But he hung in there all the way," the trainer said.

"I think this time with that run under his belt he'll sit on the pace and I'm hoping for a first three finish."