KEY POINTS:
Tim Martin and Shaune Ritchie used to be drinking buddies in Sydney.
It's a million to one chance now that they've come to be training the joint favourites for today's $700,000 Mercedes Derby at Ellerslie Redoute's Dancer and Magic Cape.
Until 3 1/2 years ago, Ritchie was training at Rosehill in Sydney, almost across the road from Martin's stable.
It won't be until immediately after today's 5.42pm classic that they will resume that camaraderie - for the preceding 10 minutes rivalry as intense as it gets in the horse racing game will be the mode.
"I rang Shaune earlier this week from Sydney and we gave each other a bit of stick over the phone," said Martin as he inspected Redoute's Dancer at Pukekohe yesterday.
Ritchie laid down the rules during the call: "If you beat me I'm going straight to the top shelf and you're paying."
Agreed.
Martin knows what it's like to be beaten - he used to train for Nick Moraitis of Might And Power fame.
He lost the 30 Moraitis horses in one day, including outstanding sprinter Exceed And Excel.
"I've been rebuilding my team ever since," said Martin.
"I'll never again allow anyone to own that big a part of my operation."
Until Thursday Martin had not seen Redoute's Dancer for more than two weeks and was delighted.
"Yeah, he looks good."
Perth's Paul Silvestro is a first-time owner and loving it.
But business - one company he owns builds 1200 homes a year and another supplies steel to the housing market - threatened to keep him at home for the Derby.
Martin says he talked sternly about getting to New Zealand to his owner, who has not done things by halves after being convinced - he's brought a 20-strong cheering squad along.
"There's 16 from WA and four from Sydney. You'll hear us halfway down the home straight tomorrow."
Australia's other Derby runner, Currigee, will be ridden by Melbourne jockey Luke Nolan for trainer Peter Moody.
* Six painful knee operations, retirement from riding four years ago and a lonely, lowly highweight horse.
They will be the collective thoughts of veteran jockey Jim Collett if he gets over the line first on outstanding filly Veloce Bella in today's Derby.
Collett loves Veloce Bella.
But he loves the highweighter just as much.
It got his highly successful riding career back on track long after it looked finished.
Collett retired in 2003 after his sixth knee operation and was selling real estate.
Two years ago he stepped in to help some mornings when Matamata's Ballymore Stables training partner Andrew Scott had some stand-down time.
"There was this highweighter and they couldn't find a rider to suit the horse and someone said why don't you ride it. I hadn't ridden for two years. So I did and one thing led to another."
And now perhaps to Collett's first win in the Derby.
It's his time, he reckons, after finishing second to Wahid on Roman Chariot last year.
This season Collett has been successful on Veloce Bella in the $100,000 Avondale Guineas, $120,000 Eight Carat Classic and $120,000 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic.
