Racing: Waller prefers to do his planning

Preferment (outer) gets the better of Bondeiger to win the Victoria Derby at Flemington on Saturday. Photo / Getty Images

Rosehill horseman Chris Waller said on Saturday morning: "Australian-based trainers shouldn't beat themselves up because the Northern Hemisphere horses win the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and probably the Melbourne Cup.

"We should concentrate on winning races like the Derbys."

Then hours later, he went out and won the A$1.5 million Victoria Derby with Preferment.

And it was no accident - two years ago Waller deliberately bought 10 potential stayers at the Karaka yearling in an attempt to win a Derby or a Melbourne Cup. Preferment, at $180,000 was one of them.

Who knows whether he might not add next year's Melbourne Cup to his tally?

Part owner Gerard Peterson made a sage comment: "At least we know he'll run the two miles next year, because he's already done it."

Peterson was referring to Preferment being caught three wide without cover in mid-field. Most horses couldn't cope with that over 2500m at Flemington - particularly a 3-year-old - but Preferment, under a punishing Damien Oliver ride, kept going bravely to score.

The Zabeel factor played a big part of Preferment's victory and co-breeder Sir Patrick Hogan was on hand to congratulate a large syndicate of owners.

Preferment became just the fourth maiden to win the Victoria Derby, which pre-dates the Melbourne Cup by six years, in 159 years and it confirmed Damien Oliver's reputation as a world class rider of stayers.

"She's not a weight-for-age horse," was James McDonald's succinct quote after Rising Romance finished sixth in Saturday's A$1 million Mackinnon Stakes.

The Caulfield Cup runner-up looked potentially the winner of the group one when she dashed up in behind the leaders at the 220m, but weakened in the dying stages.

"She's a handicap horse at her current level of physical development," said McDonald, "but in the autumn when she's more mature it might be a different thing."

Rising Romance carried a lightweight 53kg in the Caulfield Cup and 56.5kg under Saturday's weight-for-age conditions.

In one of the great finishes, Morphettville-trained Happy Trails and Damien Oliver just nosed out He's Your Man and Joao Moreira with English stayer Farraaj outstanding in his Australian debut a close third.

Farraaj was ridden by the new, you-beaut latest good thing in the Northern Hemisphere, young Italian Andrea Atzeni. He had hardly been heard of in this part of the world before this ride and many Australian punters would be happy if this is the last they see of him.

To be fair to Atzeni, his horse drew wide and as the new boy on the block the local jockeys were offering no favours and left Farraaj parked three wide throughout.

Worse, Farraj hit the front on the corner and was immediately hit by the near gale-force head wind. To go down narrowly was a magnificent effort.