Danny O’Brien has been spruiking the virtues of this galloper for a few months now.
After Saturday those who weren’t listening and those who may have thought O'Brien was getting carried away a bit too soon are now all ears.
The galloper Kyabram-raised, Flemington-based horse trainer O'Brien is referring to is Russian Camelot, a three-year-old who claimed the South Australian Derby in stunning style at Morphettville on Saturday.
Three-wide at the rear of the field for a good part of the testing 2500 m trip, Russian Camelot arrogantly looped the field in the concluding stages when asked by Irish jockey John Allen to score a runaway win in the Group One $400 000 feature.
In winning he accounted for classy gallopers Dalasan, unbeaten in four starts previously on the track, and the Victoria Derby winner Warning.
All this happened with the Northern Hemisphere-bred Russian Camelot giving six months start in age to his rivals as well as considerable race experience.
There was also scepticism that missing a vital race and going into the race second up from a spell wasn’t an ideal preparation for the gruelling distance of the Derby, although these factors were never of any major concern for his confident trainer.
“He’s been a very exciting horse, not just for us but for the public, since his very first start,” O’Brien told Racing.com.
“We’ve had to do something that hasn’t been done before, take him to a Derby against the Australian three-year-olds.
“We were always confident the motor was there, particularly once he got over a bit of ground, and it was an enjoyable watch today.
“It’s weird in Australia, but his father Camelot won the English Derby second-up. We bought the horse from England and bought the training manual with him.”
Russian Camelot was having just his fifth start and was stepping up from a win over 1600 m at his previous start — when he brained his rivals at Pakenham — to the challenging 2500 m of the Derby.
He is now favourite for the Melbourne Cup ($11) and Caulfield Cup ($10) and on the third line of betting for the Cox Plate ($15), although O'Brien is yet to commit to his spring path.
The SA Derby triumph capped a huge season for O'Brien, the former Kyabram St Augustine’s Primary School student, who has the Melbourne Cup, the Victoria Oaks and the Adelaide Cup on his seasonal resume.
O'Brien now boasts 19 Group One wins including the other highly sought after Victorian feature races in the Blue Diamond for two-year-olds and the Caulfield Cup.
● O'Brien nabbed another winner at Caulfield's Saturday races, although it was Euroa's Lindsay Park stable that stole the show with an impressive double.
O'Brien had the winner of race two, with four-year-old Viral edging out Kaplumpich to score in the $60 000 BM78 Handicap.
But the David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig training team was also celebrating, particularly after six-year-old So Si Bon won his second straight race.
After claiming last month's $200 000 Gold Mile, So Si Bon went back-to-back by strolling in Saturday's $100 000 Bert Bryant Handicap, with apprentice jockey Thomas Stockdale steering the $3.80 favourite to an easy win.
Ben Hayes told Racing.com the horse would head to the Winter Championship Series, which after heats culminates with a $128 000 final at Flemington on July 4.
The team made a winning start to the day with debutant Aidensfield winning well in the first race, claiming the $100 000 Noel Rundle Handicap.