Racing: Peterson's latest star too strong in Derby

SYDNEY - Auckland shoe company boss Gerard Peterson added the AJC Derby to his impressive group one trophy collection when Headturner won at Randwick.

Peterson was a part-owner of 2000 Melbourne Cup winner Brew and he has also been involved in the ownership of Second Coming (winner of the VRC Derby and Wellington Cup) and Railings (Metropolitan Handicap and Caulfield Cup).

They've been the big ones among countless wins for Peterson, 50, but he was keen to add the AJC Derby to that list.

"The Melbourne Cup and the AJC Derby, they have been the big two that I've really wanted to win," said Peterson after Saturday's victory.

"I'm over the moon about Headturner's win."

Headturner could not have been more impressive in winning the A$2 million ($2.4 million) Derby, settling well off the pace before storming down the straight to comfortably beat De Beers.

The Anabaa gelding, bred by Tim Bodle of Whakanui Stud in Waikato, and bought as a yearling by Paul Moroney, will now be set for a spring campaign, though Sydney trainer John Hawkes hasn't identified a specific target.

Peterson, however, thinks he could be a Melbourne Cup hope. That would set up an appetising challenge for him as Railings, also trained by Hawkes, is to be aimed for the Melbourne Cup.

Peterson and fellow New Zealander Owen Glenn share half of the ownership of Headturner, with the other half held by colleagues of Peterson in the shoe industry, Tony Pistikakis and Michael Lam.

Peterson is general manager of shoe discounter Number 1 Shoe Warehouse, having sold 80 per cent of the business recently to Hellaby Holdings.

Glenn, who lives in Sydney but runs an ocean freight business based in Los Angeles, was missing from the team on Saturday.

Said Peterson: "He's on holiday and celebrating in Antigua."

Peterson himself left Randwick early to join his family holidaying on the Gold Coast in Queensland. But he might be back to Sydney later this week for the Easter yearling sales, looking for another classic winner.

He might have to change his strategy, though. Now that he has the AJC Derby to his credit, he has started thinking about Australasia's richest weight-for-age event, the Cox Plate.

Peterson has mostly concentrated on buying stayers, though he admits there is an irony that Headturner is obviously one, his pedigree spells sprinter.

There's irony too about Bodle's involvement as breeder. Bodle was a shareholder in Derby second-placegetter De Beers before the horse was transferred from Hawkes' stable to David Hayes.

New Zealanders Rob McAnulty and Nigel Tiley share in De Beers' ownership.

McAnulty said the colt might race in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes this Saturday.

Derby domination

* Favourite Headturner bolts away with the AJC Derby.

* His win continued the remarkable run of success for Auckland part-owner Gerard Peterson.

* Another New Zealand-owned galloper, De Beers, was a gutsy second.

- NZPA