Since the race was moved to Derby Day and elevated to Group I status it has been won by some absolutely outstanding horses as you can see in the honour roll below.
Successful stallions Northern Meteor (Widden), Star Witness (Widden), Sepoy (Darley) and Zoustar (Widden)all appear as well as younger sires Brazen Beau (Darley), Flying Artie (Newgate) and Merchant Navy (Coolmore), who all stand at major farms and are being given the best chance for commercial success.
The field this year features one filly in Sunlight and nine talented colts, so let's go through them and see what they have to offer if victory unfolds in their direction and that doesn't always fall to the favourite.
Merchant Navy eased from $13 to $19 last year before they jumped and the previous winner Flying Artie started at $10, so best to have a good look at all contenders.
1/ Written By (Written Tycoon) – Bred and retained to race by the Begg family after passing in shy of his $200,000 reserve at Inglis Premier, he's the only Group I winner in the field and was the Champion 2YO Colt last season with a win in the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes his best performance.
He's a good looking chestnut that is true to type for his sire Written Tycoon, the champion sire of Victoria that stands at Woodside Park at a fee of $110,000. Written Tycoon already has a number of sons at stud notably Golden Slipper winner Capitalist as well as brilliant sprinters Winning Rupert and Ruch Enuff, so Written By is a highly desirable commodity and traces in tail female line to champion Australian broodmare Humour, via her daughter No Finer, the dam of champion sire Pins.
A deal is yet to be struck to secure his future at stud.
2/ Zousain (Zoustar) – A $400,000 Magic Millions purchase for David
Redvers/Mulcaster Bloodstock, Zousain now runs for a partnership that includes
Widden Stud who will eventually stand him alongside his sire Zoustar.A Group II winner last season, Zousain has been second twice at Group I level to The Autumn Sun, most recently in the G1 Golden Rose, so will be pleased to find that colt not in the line up this time. A gorgeous looking son of leading young sire Zoustar, he's from a fast Irish Group III winning sprinter in Pasar Silbano, who is a sibling to two other juvenile stakes-winners so he is everything his pedigree suggests.
3/ Encryption (Lonhro) – A homebred for Darley and a real blue-blood being from their former star four time Group I winning filly Guelph, whose next two dams are Group I winners Camarilla and Camarena going back to the family of Golden Slipper winners Sepoy and Canny Lad.
Darley already stand three Lonhro sons in Denman, Exosphere and Impending with
Encryption sure to add to that list given his burgeoning status with a
brilliant win in the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes his career best performance
to date.4/ Lean Mean Machine (Zoustar) – One of three in the race for Zoustar, who also has the lone filly Sunlight. A $250,000 Magic Millions purchase for Aquis/Raffles Racing/Blue Sky Bstock (FBAA), his stud career will no doubt begin at Aquis Farm who share prominently in his ownership.
A two time Group II winner, he's fresh for this after a good fifth in the Golden Rose and has some real diversity in his pedigree being from stakes-winning Falvelon mare She's Meaner, a half-sister to Group II winner and sire Love Conquers All from Group I winner She's a Meanie. There's probably not a lot between Lean Mean Machine and his stable mate Zousain.
5/ Long Leaf (Fastnet Rock) – A $750,000 NZB Premier purchase for BBA Ireland, Long Leaf runs for Coolmore and partners in the famed navy blue.
A two time Listed stakes-winner at two, he's been placed in two of three starts this spring, but would need to improve sharply on everything we've seen from him to date to win. A well related son of champion sire Fastnet Rock, his dam Frustrating is a daughter of blue hen Parfore, the dam of Group I winners Terravista and Tiger Tees as well as $1.3 million earner Ball of Muscle and Singapore Horse of the Year and sire Super Easy. He's got the pedigree and type, he just needs the Group I form on the board to earn a slot on the Coolmore roster.
6/ Sesar (Sebring) – A $160,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Proven Thoroughbreds / Steve O'Dea Racing, Sesar is the second runner that has Aquis Farm in the ownership and could be a real dark horse capable of winning this at odds.
Was mixing it with The Autumn Sun, Zousain and Lean Mean Machine during the Brisbane Winter Carnival and posted a win over the latter when taking out the Group III Ken Russell Classic. Won the Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes at his first run back so is a last start winner. By leading sire Sebring, who already has a couple of sons at stud headed by Dissident and is a half-brother to recent stakes-winner Doubt Defying from stakes-winning Street Cry (IRE) mare Sarthemare. It's not hard to see a Group I win on his resume by the end of the season even if it's not this one.
7/ Paquirri (I Am Invincible) – A $265,000 Magic Millions Perth purchase for Gary Moore Racing, his lone win to date came in the Group III ATC Kindergarten Stakes last season in which Lean Mean Machine was third.
Has done nothing in two runs this spring on wet ground, but would need to stage a form reversal and find a new personal best to get in the money against this field. A son of red hot sire I Am Invincible, he's from stakes-winner Miss Solis, a half-sister to juvenile stakes-winner Setsuna from the family of Melbourne Cup winner Jezabeel.
8/ Diplomatico (Snitzel) – A $1.7 million Inglis Easter purchase for George
Moore Bloodstock, Diplomatico is the least experienced runner with just three
starts, the latest being a win in the Listed ATC Sir Brian Crowley Stakes. Bought as a racehorse first for mostly Hong Kong owners, he's a half-brother to Group III winner Havana and was, along with Golden Slipper winner Estijaab, the equal highest priced Snitzel yearling sold in 2017. If he wins this, a stud career will become paramount over any long term racing career in Hong Kong.
9/ Thorondor (Fastnet Rock) – A $340,000 Inglis Easter purchase for R & S Montague, Thorondor runs for a syndicate that also includes Coolmore and China Horse Club. He is the only horse in the race that has not won a stakes race, although a good second to Encryption in the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes three starts back has earned him a slot in the field.
He's by a champion sire and proven sire of sires and is from stakes-winning Rubiton mare Impressive Eagle, a half-sister to Queensland Derby winner Eagle Way, so maybe will do better when stepped up in trip as his career progresses.
Images Grant Courtney and Steve Hart.
