KEY POINTS:
Vinny Colgan has made winning the New Zealand Derby a career habit and the Matamata-based jockey is looking forward to the 2008 edition on March 1.
Colgan was sporting the largest smile in the jockeys' room at Ellerslie yesterday after the the $100,000 (Group Two) Championship Stakes for 3-year-olds.
He teamed up with the unbeaten John Sargent-trained Red Ruler and they overpowered their rivals.
Red Ruler settled at the rear of the field and slowly reeled in the strong field, unleashing a sustained home stretch sprint down the outer to win by 3 1/4 lengths over Six O'Clock News with a further 1 1/4 lengths back to Pierre Joseph.
Timing is everything when it comes to peaking a 3-year-old for a feature-staying event and its hard to ignore the imposing victory recorded by the son of Viking Ruler.
"He reminds me a lot of Redoute's Dancer who I rode to win this race and the Derby here at Ellerslie last year," said Colgan.
"He felt good and really strong and the way he found the finishing line, it's hard to see him not running out the 2400m of the Derby.
"I haven't examined the race replay but I think it'll be hard to come up with reasons why he's not the horse to beat in the Derby.
"Johns [Sargent] has timed his preparation to perfection peaking him for the Derby and I can't wait till Derby day."
Colgan, with the exception of fellow Matamata-based jockey Michael Coleman, is most probably the most dominant jockey of the New Zealand Derby over the past 10 years.
Colgan's previous Derby wins have being on the Roger James-trained trio of Roysyn, Zonda and Hades.
"You never know if a 3-year-old can run out 2400m but this horse feels as if he will thrive on stepping up over more ground."
PATIENCE WAS rewarded when Prized Touch recorded a pleasing trial for the $700,000 Auckland Cup with an effortless victory.
Pukekohe trainer Richard Collett has been patient with the 6-year-old and that decision is proving worthwhile judging by the winning performance in the $25,000 Open Handicap.
Prized Touch unleashed a blistering home stretch sprint down the outer in the hands of Leith Innes to score comfortably by 2 1/2 lengths over Spin Around with a further head back to Ntamack.
Collett is looking forward to the Group One feature on March 5.
"Right from day one I've thought that we've had to let this horse mature and strengthen and doesn't have a lot of kilometres on the clock.
"He's come into form at the right time and we've had the Auckland Cup on the radar for quite a while.
"He got a great run into the race with 200m today and we've got an in-form jockey that's confident in the horse, so Im looking forward to Auckland Cup day."
Yesterday's feature had an odd look from the outset with exciting Matamata-trained stayer Tinseltown jumping straight to the front in the hands of Michael Coleman.
This combination then attempted to turn the race into a sit-sprint clamping the speed on over the closing 600m but had no answer to the powerful finishing bursts of the first three placegetters.
Spin Around settled handy to the lead and ran home strongly in the home straight, confirming his ranking as the most consistent stayer in the Auckland-Waikato region this season.
