Racing: Leaders bias against Darci

Mark Walker rejects any suggestion Darci Brahma lost Saturday's A$750,000 Australian Guineas because he was a race short.

Press reports indicated the glamour colt would physically improve with the race, but Walker said there was no substance to those claims.

He said his stable foreman, Andrew Carston, told him Darci Brahma "would not have blown a match out after the race".

"David [Ellis] was there and he said the same."

Walker believes a fierce leaders' bias at Flemington assisted the pacemaking Apache Cat to beat Darci Brahma.

Michael Walker rode Darci Brahma magnificently, allowing the colt to relax on a long rein in fourth place before angling out to sit quietly in third place on the home bend.

Darci Brahma looked certain to win when he attacked Apache Cat, but the Australian 3-year-old sustained a longer sprint and was edging away late.

"He applied that short, sharp sprint he possesses, but the other horse was too strong," said Mark Walker.

"I think he's better ridden a bit further back in his races, but the way the tracks have been in his last two starts have dictated how we've ridden him.

"His best efforts have been when he's been allowed to run into his races.

"It was favouring horses up front, so we rode him accordingly."

Walker said there was no chance Darci Brahma would back up into next Saturday's A$400,000 Royal Randwick Guineas, a race that had been seen as an option to the Melbourne event.

"I think he's looking for 2000m now.

"There is the choice between the Ranvet Stakes and the Rosehill Guineas."

The A$400,000 Ranvet is a weight-for-age event on Saturday week and the S$500,000 Rosehill Guineas is a week later.

"He'll probably fly up to Sydney on Wednesday and we'll assess it from there."

Walker has until Wednesday to decide whether 3-year-old filly Shikoba backs up into this week's Oaks after her fighting third to Kristov in Saturday's $150,000 Starcraft Stakes.

Shikoba was pushed forward into a nice spot by Lisa Allpress, but did not get carried into the race by Bazelle as the camp had planned.

To avoid getting on heels, Allpress had to swing Shikoba wider on the home bend than she would have liked. For that she copped a two-week suspension for interference to the horses on her outside.

Shikoba tried hard and was the only horse to take significant ground off the winner Kristov in the final 350m, finishing one and a quarter lengths and a long neck away.