By Mike Dillon
Lance O'Sullivan spent 12 months watching races on television merely to fill in time.
With his badly injured leg now totally repaired, his viewing in the past six weeks has had a tougher edge - he is looking for potential mounts for his pending raceday return to the saddle.
So his opinion on what might win Saturday's $350,000 Sleepyhead Derby is worth consideration.
"Nahayan," he was quick to volunteer yesterday.
"I was very impressed with her Avondale Guineas performance.
"I think she can win and I like So Casual as the danger.
"For third it's a toss up between Just Call Me Sir and Able Master - probably Just Call Me Sir."
The sprint Nahayan can turn on is the reason O'Sullivan fancies the Takanini filly's chances.
Many punters make a tactical error in the Derby. They are impressed with the way certain horses run on at the finish of the lead-up 1600m and 2000m races and cannot wait to get their money set for the 2400m Derby.
It is generally misplaced. The ability to sprint 200m very quickly is as important in the Derby, often more important, than over the shorter distances.
Most Derby winners you can think of have got there because they have sprinted 200m somewhere within the final 450m.
That sprint basically equates to class.
And class horses almost always win the Derby.
O'Sullivan landed Surfers Paradise (1990) and Popsy in 1993 to win the country's No 1 classic.
"Surfers Paradise could go whoosh at the end of his races and that won it for him.
"The other important factor is that horses who are not natural 2400m types, simply the best horse in the race, can get away with the distance in the Derby and then fail at 2400m for the rest of their career."
O'Sullivan is only two to three weeks away from resuming race riding after a 14-month absence.
He rode two winners from four mounts at Wednesday's Paeroa trials and says he is on target to ride brother Paul's big team at the Trentham carnival in late January.
"I'll be starting back at the latest at the Waikato meeting on January 9, hopefully before that at either Thames or Taupo.
"That'll give me six or seven meetings before Trentham."
There are no shortcuts to resuming after such a long break.
Raceday riding, says O'Sullivan, is the only way to get properly fit for raceday riding.
"You can ride at the trials until you're blue in the face or you can run 20 miles a day, but only riding raceday will finally get you there.
"I ride trackwork in the morning then do an hour and a half in the gym every day, but now I just have to get out there and do it."
You can detect the hunger and keenness in O'Sullivan's voice.
Nahayan impressive
One who was impressed with Nahayan at Avondale was visiting ex-jockey Darren Beadman.
"She's AJC Oaks material," Beadman said.
He also rates Nahayan's stable-mate Sunline as the best filly he has seen since Emancipation.
"She is a truly outstanding athlete."
Leith Innes riding
Leith Innes will still take the mount on Tobruk in the Derby despite copping a two-raceday suspension and a $500 fine at Counties yesterday.
Apprentice on Derby favorite
To go one better than Meatloaf, three out of four ain't bad.
That's the score for 20-year-old Takanini apprentice Alan Peard when he gets legged up on Able Master, one of the favourites for the Derby.
Peard's apprenticeship, which started slowly, has sped up in the past three months and could accelerate to the moon at the winning post in the Derby.
But if Able Master does not win, it will still be a big result for Peard.
From day one the youngster has set himself goals.
The first was to win the Haunui apprentice award, decided over a series of specific races, which he did. The second was achieved when he was recently named overall leading Auckland apprentice.
The third is to have a ride in a group one race and that's Saturday.
The fourth he missed out on - representing New Zealand in the international apprentice series in Macau.
"That's been difficult," he said with a big smile. "There's a bloke around called Opie Bosson."
Horse Racing: Champion jockey rates filly Derby winner
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