Roger James and Robert Wellwood will take aim at one of the few missing pieces on an already glittering Sydney résumé when Road To Paris lines up in Saturday’s Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick.
Few New Zealand trainers have enjoyed more success on Australian soil than James, whose Sydney raids have yielded multiple elite-level victories including the Vinery Stud Stakes, Ranvet Stakes and Tancred Stakes.
Yet the Australian Derby remains an elusive prize, one the veteran horseman would dearly love to claim, especially given his reputation for Derby excellence.
Road To Paris earned his shot at Randwick with a strong victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) last month, the seventh winner of the race for the stable, with the trophy cabinet also featuring Pinarello’s 2022 Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) triumph.
Road To Paris touched down in Sydney on Tuesday night and has settled in well ahead of his biggest test to date.
“He arrived at about 10:30pm last night and he was ready to go when he left home,” James said. “He will just trot and canter for the next few days and line up on Saturday.”
Barrier 10 in a field of 13 presents a challenge, but James is comfortable that the gelding’s racing pattern will allow him to find his rhythm.
“Had he drawn better we might have raced a little bit handier, but his natural way is to find his feet anyway, and that's probably what we're forced to do from the draw.”
Champion Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton has been booked to ride, adding further strength to the stable’s Derby push.
“Those guys like Zac, they do a tremendous amount of homework,” James said. “So he will come prepared, and I can just fill him in with a little bit of background on the horse. He can be a bit quirky in his races and in trackwork.”
A genuine staying type with a valuable turn of foot, Road To Paris is rated a $10 chance in a market headed by Godolphin-owned pair Green Spaces ($3.20) and Observer ($3.30).
His rise has also helped propel his Windsor Park Stud-based sire Circus Maximus into the spotlight, with the young sire already producing multiple stakes winners from his first crop, including a Derby winner.
“To win a Derby in his first crop is something that any stud or stud master would be pretty proud of,” James said.
Regardless of the result on Saturday, the Randwick assignment is expected to be the final run of the campaign for the still-maturing three-year-old who is raced by his Queensland owner-breeders Ron and Judi Wanless.
“I would think this would be the last run of the season. He's already had a Derby build-up in New Zealand and you can go to the well too often with them while they are still maturing,” James said.
“He’s booked on a flight home on Tuesday night and I hope he puts his best foot forward.” – NZ Racing Desk
