KEY POINTS:
Mark Walker's most anxious 48 hours of the season are over - Tell A Tale is almost a definite runner in the $2.2 million Telecom New Zealand Derby.
After a nerve-racking wait for the all-clear to start his 3-year-old star and early favourite for the Ellerslie feature, the Matamata trainer got the green-light yesterday afternoon.
An assault on one of the few big-races to elude Walker was in serious doubt after Tell A Tale pulled up sore from his gallant second in the Whakanui Stud Stakes at Te Rapa on Saturday.
"It looks like he's just tweaked a shoulder muscle in his near front," said a relieved Walker yesterday. "X-rays have shown nothing - he just must have put his foot down in the right place at the wrong time."
After watching a replay of the 2000m weight-for-age race, Walker said Tell A Tale appeared to change stride about 150m short of the post.
That was when Derby rider Michael Walker and Tell A Tale ranged up as if they had the measure of eventual winner MacO'Reilly.
When Walker trotted up Tell A Tale yesterday morning he said the horse wasn't sore, just a little tender when turning on the leg.
"If it was two weeks to the Derby we'd be pushing it, but with still three weeks left he'll be fine.
"He'll get plenty of walking, swimming and leading off the pony until the end of the week when he should be able to resume normal training."
The TAB bookies reacted to the injury scare at the weekend by lengthening Tell A Tale's Derby odds to a juicy $10.
But Walker is adamant the setback won't have any impact on the 2000 Guineas winner's fitness for the 2400m test on February 28.
"He's a pretty clean-winded horse and he's had a long season with only a week off - it's not like we're trying to play catch-up.
"The 2400m shouldn't be a problem. The way he relaxes I'm pretty confident he'll get it, but he'll need the track in good order."
Meanwhile, Walker is focused on sneaking second-string $81 fixed odds hope Quinta de Lago into the final Derby line-up via a lower-grade event at Woodville on Thursday.
With the likelihood of a strong Championship Stakes (2100m) field at Ellerslie on Saturday, Walker prefers the softer option with the horse who was still 25th in the pecking order yesterday.
"We'll just hope for some stake money there and a bit of good luck," said Walker, who counts That's Tops' fifth in 2004 as his Derby highlight so far.
Matamata co-trainer Roger James has confirmed that his impressive Waikato Guineas winner Easy Ryder will run in the Championship Stakes.
"He's doing well and it has the added advantage of letting him have his first a look at Ellerslie," said James.
Regular pilot Matthew Cameron has the mount, but James said a final decision on the Derby ride will be made after Saturday.
James said stablemate and new fixed odds Telecom Derby co-favourite Jungle Boots bounced through his final test last Saturday with ease.
Time runs out for Six Star
The Richard and Chris Otto-trained Six Star is the most glaring omission from the latest Telecom Derby entries.
Six Star stormed into calculations with a fast-finishing second to Shanzero in the group three Wellington Stakes (1600m) on January 17.
But a leg injury incurred during the running has cost Six Star any hope of making it to Ellerslie on February 28.
"He was a huge Derby chance, and he put his hand up at Wellington to show how good he was," said Otto.
"But like horses sometimes do, he's gone the wrong way."
Otto said yesterday that Six Star, a duffer on rain-affected tracks, would now be out of action until next season.
TAB fixed odds' favourites last night: $5, Le Baron, Jungle Boots; $6, My Scotsgrey; $9, Sufficient; $10, Tell A Tale, Gallant, Easy Ryder, The Meista; $14, Alagant Satin; $16, Coniston Bluebird; $21, Court Ruler, Down The Road, Fears Nothing; $26, Takeanotherchance.
NZ Derby order of entry (*denotes exempt from ballot):
1 Le Baron * $134,015
2 Down The Road * $47,928
3 Tell A Tale $804,550
4 Alagant Satin $147,550
5 Juice $132,500
6 Coniston Bluebird $83,300
7 Skirmish $71,075
8 Moveovr $70,875
9 The Meista $64,500
10 Spontaneous $62,800
11 Court Ruler $62,450
12 My Scotsgrey $60,220
13 Easy Ryder $52,935
14 Takeanotherchance $49,325
15 Jungle Boots $45,662
16 Izonit $37,125
17 I Robot $30,100
18 The Spaniard $27,900
19 Sufficient $24,791
20 Heza Karma Karzi $22,253
21 Fears Nothing $21,065
22 Late Addition $20,435
23 Gallant $15,625
24 Carchelo $13,337
25 Quinta de Lago $5650
26 Diamond Glitter $5215
27 Brunel $2150
28 Sun Ruler $1500
