Racing: Orchestral’s drop in distance seen as an advantage

Orchestral will contest the Vinery at Rosehill on Saturday. Photo / Race Images

The trainers of superstar filly Orchestral are viewing her drop back from the Derby distance to 2000m an advantage heading into her Australian debut in the Vinery Stakes in Sydney on Saturday.

And co-trainer Robert Wellwood says they have the jockey to take care of the rest.

Orchestral is the odds-on favourite for the A$750,000 Group 1 at Rosehill even though she meets star local filly Zardozi and she hasn’t raced since winning the New Zealand Derby four weeks ago.

That could be a concern, especially dropping back from the 2400m of the Derby but Wellwood, who trains the excitement machine in partnership with Roger James, says Orchestral’s huge summer has aided her.

“She had a week off after the Derby but because she was so fit and is so clean-winded she really hasn’t need much work to get ready,” Wellwood told the Herald.

Orchestral not only won the $1.5m Karaka Millions 3-year-old but was even more dominant stepping up in distance in the Avondale Guineas and the Derby on March 2.

“We have really needed to work her properly only three times since the Derby,” he explains.

“We gave her one three-quarter pace run and two gallops since then and she is right where she needs to be because she is so clean-winded.

“She travelled over on Tuesday and didn’t turn a hair so she is ready for Saturday.”

Orchestral has drawn barrier 2 in the Vinery, a race the stable won last season with Prowess, and Wellwood says although the 10-horse field helps, the tactics will be up to James McDonald, who rode her to win the Karaka Millions.

“We obviously know some of her rivals such as Zardozi and Kimochi but we aren’t going to know them anywhere as well as James does.

“He rode Zardozi to win the VRC Oaks and he will know all the form and he knows Rosehill backwards.

“So we don’t have to worry about the tactics, we will leave that up to him.”

Orchestral should be suited by having only nine opponents as she has been most potent when allowed to find her feet.

So even if McDonald allows that again, she shouldn’t get too far off the leaders, often crucial around Rosehill.

Orchestral won’t be the sole Australian focus for the stable on Saturday with Auckland Cup placegetter Mark Twain the third favourite for the A$500,000 Roy Higgins at Flemington.

The race is an automatic qualifier for the Melbourne Cup but that is more of a bonus, says Wellwood.

This is because the race fits in nicely to end his campaign and will tell them how he stacks up in that grade in Australia.

A bigger target at Flemington is the A$3m Australian Cup in which Matamata mare Legarto has drawn ideally at barrier 2 but is drifting in the market to $15.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.