Kelt said Asterix has been plagued by hoof problems and shin soreness and the staff at O'Sullivan and Scott's Wexford Stables had worked overtime to get the horse fit enough to line up in the Derby let alone win it.
Asterix was recording his second win after taking out a lowly rated 2100m maiden race at Tauranga at his most recent outing. His first two starts had resulted in a sixth and an eighth, hardly the right credentials for a prospective Derby winner.
O'Sullivan said the fact the horse went into the Derby with just four lead-up runs was not the plan.
"We didn't have any choice," he said. "One thing after another went wrong. It was just immaturity problems with his feet and shins.
"Ideally, we would have liked to have given him another mile before we ran him at Tauranga, and also an extra run over ground.
"Andrew and my biggest concern going into the race was his lack of experience out there on the track.
"He had a very light prep and the horse had to have a lot of natural ability to get away with it and do what he did."
Given a well-judged ride by Johnathan Parkes, Asterix was a clear last as the field found their early positions and went past the finish line with a round to go.
Parkes began to get his mount rolling starting the last 800m, and they swooped around the field to lodge their claim rounding the home turn.
Asterix charged to a clear lead early in the straight and kept up a strong gallop to the line, scoring by a length and a half from the late-finishing raging-hot race favourite La Crique. The winning time of 2:27.24 was the equal fourth fastest Derby in history.
"This is huge for me," an elated Parkes sad after the win.
"It's a race I've always wanted to win, and it's one of the real pinnacle races we've got in New Zealand. It hasn't always been easy in my career with injuries and weight, but a win like this makes it all worthwhile.
"I just rode him to instructions — they wanted me to tide him quietly, get him nice and relaxed and the finish strongly. He actually clipped a heel coming out of the gates and was lucky to stay standing, but he recovered really well from that.
"He's just a real stayer, and I think there's plenty more ahead of him. He's a lovely horse, and he just outstayed them."
Asterix possesses so much staying potential that his connections are now eyeing this year's Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), on the first Tuesday in November, with the horse.
"Andrew and I have sat down with Sam Kelt, and his dream has always been to have a runner in a Melbourne Cup," O'Sullivan said.
"We decided that the best thing we can do for the horse would be to put him in the paddock for a break now. He has only had the four runs, he is not overtaxed.
"He is still a very immature horse and we are hoping, all going well, that we will end up in the Melbourne Cup this year.
"It is a bit of a dream, but those are our hopes at this stage."
O'Sullivan and Scott were recording back-to-back wins in the New Zealand Derby after saddling up Rocket Spade to take out the classic 12 months ago.
Adding to the theme of history repeating, Asterix carried the Kelt family's distinctive emerald green and red colours. The same silks were worn by O'Sullivan himself when he won the Derby as a jockey aboard Popsy in 1993.
"That win with Popsy was a fair few years ago now, and it's a lot harder to win this race as a trainer," O'Sullivan said.
Asterix was bred by Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock and is out of Mourasana, an English-bred daughter of Shirocco, who was a Listed placegetter in France.
She is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Mouramara, who is the dam of three stakes winners including the Sydney Cup (3200m) winner Mourayan and Melbourne Cup placegetter Mourilyan.
"This is a great thrill. Sam Kelt bought him for $450,000 at the Ready To Run two-year-old sale, and he's rewarded for that big investment. He's got some of his family involved, and he brought Mark Greatbatch into the ownership as well, and this is a fantastic result for all of them," O'Sullivan added.
"Sam is the most optimistic guy you could ever train for. He was a believer all the way through, and told us three weeks ago that we were going to win the Derby. We weren't quite so sure, but those quality genes kicked in down the straight."
Buoyed by his Derby success, Sam Kelt was also active at Tuesday's session of the Karaka yearling sales, outlaying $675,000 for a colt by Almanzor out of a half-sister to Inspirational Girl, winner of last Saturday's Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) in Melbourne.
Bloodstock agent Bruce Perry, who was instrumental in picking out Asterix as a prospective purchase for Kelt in 2020, included the Almanzor colt in a short list for Kelt to inspect at this week's yearling sales and he said the latter was immediately taken with the horse.
Group 1 mission for Hastings filly
Blissful Belle's impressive win in a Rating 65 race over 1600m at the Hawke's Bay meeting on Wednesday of last week has earned her a start in next Saturday's Group 1 $260,000 Levin Classic at Trentham.
The filly's Hastings trainer, John Bary, is keen to test her against the cream of the country's three-year-old crop in the 1600m feature and, by the way she won last week, she should be competitive.
Blissful Belle wanted to over-race in the early stages of the Hastings race but rider Lisa Allpress got her to settle much better entering the last 600m and they went up to challenge for the lead on the home turn.
Blissful Belle kicked clear soon after and kept up a strong run to the line to win by a length.
A three-year-old filly by Belardo out of the unraced Elusive City mare Elusive Bliss, Blissful Belle was bred by South Island-based Kathryn Picton-Warlow, who has raced horses from the John Bary stable in the past.
She decided to sell the filly and Bary's racing manager Mike Sanders set up a syndicate to buy her.
"It is a large syndicate, with people from Australia, Hawke's Bay and all over the country involved," Sanders said.
The Hawke's Bay syndicate members are Michael Thomson, Doug Callaghan, David Hughes, Ian McLean, Dave West, Hayden McCutcheon, Michelle Young, Bronny Paterson, Peter Govers and Russell and Renee Sharpland.
No Time To Jazz in tune again
No Time To Jazz rates as one of the most improved horses presently being trained in Hastings after recording her third win in the space of four starts on her home track last week.
The Swiss Ace mare was having only her fifth start when she lined up in a $30,000 Rating 74 race over 1400m and led all the way for another decisive 1-1/4 length victory. It followed a maiden win over 1400m at Hastings back in November last year and another easy four-length success over 1200m at the same venue on December 31.
Trainer Pam Holden freshened the mare again for last week's race and turned her out in excellent order.
Apprentice Faye Lazet took No Time To Jazz straight to the front and dictated a pace to suit before kicking clear rounding the home bend. The mare never looked like being caught and clocked a quick 1:22.28 in beating two other Hastings-trained runners in King Farouk and Shezzacatch.
Holden races No Time To Jazz in partnership with Stephanie Russell and said the mare will now be freshened again and aimed at another $30,000 Rating 74 race over 1400m at Hastings on April 16.
The mare was bred by Hawke's Bay's Chris Russell and is out of the Dieu D'Or mare Donna Jazz, a horse that won two races and has also left the good performers Shesalljazz (five wins) and Hesalljazz (seven wins).
HB-trained Mohaka in Auckland Cup
The connections of Hastings-trained Mohaka are hoping she can repay their faith after they paid the late nomination payment for tomorrow's Group 2 $500,000 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie.
The six-year-old mare has been in good form of late, placing behind Waisake in the Group 3 Trentham Stakes (2100m) in January before running fourth in the Group 3 Taranaki Cup (2000m) last month.
But it was the way she ran home to finish third in the Group 2 Avondale Cup (2400m) last start that convinced trainers Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen to make a late run for the Auckland Cup.
"She ran third in the Avondale Cup and she just pulled a bit hard, which was a bit of a shame," Lowry said.
"That was her first go right-handed and first go over 2400m. I thought she stuck on really well."
Mohaka unfortunately has a wide draw (13) to overcome tomorrow, but will again be ridden by Hastings jockey Kate Hercock, who has been aboard the mare in each of her past three starts.
