By MIKE DILLON
New Zealand trainers don't often win Victoria Derbies and Paul O'Sullivan knows it.
But that does not diminish his confidence in taking today's $A1 million Derby with Falls The Shadow.
Mike Moroney broke the spell when he took the famous Flemington classic with Second Coming in 1997.
Before that you go back to the days when Syd Brown won it with Daryll's Joy in 1969 and again with Classic Mission two years later.
O'Sullivan knows his one chance to become the fourth Kiwi winner in 31 years is if the race becomes a true test of stamina.
Which is why he is a chance to win it.
There is no greater staying test than 2500m at Flemington for 3-year-olds at this time of year, particularly on what is almost certain to be a slow track.
"At 2000m Universal Prince is too brilliant for my horse and in winning the AAMI Vase last week Skalato proved he was too brilliant for Universal Prince," was O'Sullivan's summing up of the formline. "So to beat both of those we have to outstay them."
Falls The Shadow had only one race in New Zealand after which prominent Auckland owner Gerard Peterson bought a half share from breeder and owner Tim Bodle and the horse was shipped off to O'Sullivan's Sydney satallite stable.
He won the Dulcify Stakes in Sydney, was an unlucky second in the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick before never getting into the clear in his first Melbourne start in the Norman Robinson Stakes at Caulfield.
Skalato was last night 9-4 ($3.25) Derby favourite ahead of Universal Prince at 3-1 ($4), with Falls The Shadow and another New Zealand-bred Sale Of The Century on 7-1.
Falls The Shadow races in the right colours to be winning a big race at Flemington - those carried to victory by Kiwi mare Empire Rose in the Melbourne Cup.
He will be ridden by one of the great staying riders, Chris Munce, who won the Melbourne Cup on New Zealand mare Jezabeel two years ago.
Racing: Stamina test trainer's choice
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