MONACO CONSUL TOO STRONG AND WHAT THE JOCKEYS SAID

NEW ZEALANDER Monaco Consul emerged as a staying star of the future winning the Group 1 $1.5 million AAMI Victoria Derby at Flemington on Saturday after pre-post favorite Shamoline Warrior was a shock early morning scratching.

Aided by a clever Corey Brown ride, Monaco Consul, $4.80, out-stayed Extra Zero, $9, to win by a length with the Sydneysider Viking Legend, over two lengths away third.

“We trained him in the English style and sent him out with a pacemaker a few times and it worked,” Moroney said. “We knew our horse and were helped a lot by my brother Paul who spent time in England watching the stayers there.”

Paul Moroney looks after the New Zealand arm of the Moroney stable where Monaco Consul began his career with a Maiden win from four starts. He won the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick at his Australian debut at $51 on a heavy track.

Moroney, who won the 1997 Victoria Derby with Second Coming, had such a high opinion of Monaco Consul that he kept him in the Cox Plate until the final acceptances. That Group 1 was won by another three-year-old son of High Chaparral in So You Think.

“It was a great ride,” Moroney said. “Corey got off the fence at the right time and he ambled on him for a while before going for him and then the horse showed that turn of foot we know he’s got.

“You take a bit of a risk when you don’t run for four weeks but we thought we knew our horse and it worked out well.”

Brown said Moroney had done a marvellous job to have Monaco Consul primed to run the race of his life after four weeks without a start. “It's unreal to finally get one of these big races at this carnival after coming so close so many times.

“He was the absolute perfect ride,” Brown said. “Mike promised me he wouldn’t have a bad attitude and he was fine. He’s still a bit bullish and maybe even silly but when the penny drops he’ll be a very smart horse.”

Brown’s finished a close second in last year’s Melbourne Cup to Viewed, beaten nose. That was his previous best effort in a Victorian Group 1.

The David Hayes-trained Extra Zero ran on strongly for second spot with the Gai Waterhouse-trained Viking Legend a game third.

Onemorenomore led for home but gave in quickly while Geelong Classic winner, Southern Skye, fought on for fourth after taking a rails run on straightening. The well fancied Rockferry was never a winning chance and finished fifth.

WHAT THE JOCKEYS SAID AFTER THE VICTORIA DERBY

COREY BROWN Monaco Consul 1st

“When they sprinted he wasn’t flat footed but he took a bit of winding up. Even when Nash (Rawiller) came to him, I knew he had more in the tank because he had been that relaxed through the race. I was just waiting for him to hit top speed. Once Nash came to him, it actually switched him on a bit more and he was happy to run away from them. A super effort.”

NASH RAWILLER Extra Zero 2nd

“I thought he was the winner for a few strides but all credit goes to the winner. Maybe this timenext year - he will run a trip.”

BLAKE SHINN Viking Legend 3rd

“Great run. He had every chance. The first two just outsprinted him but he fought on really well and will come back a real good four-year-old.”

DAN NIKOLIC Southern Skye 4th

“Had a nice run in the race. He travelled well, relaxed well and presented at the top of the straight and toughed it out well. They were just a bit better than him.”

HUGH BOWMAN Rockferry 5th

“I thought the horse ran very very well. They didn’t quite go hard enough in the middle stages for me. I was where I wanted to be and when I got out I thought I was going to really challenge the leaders. They just had a kick at the furlong and I was a bit too far back to catch them.”

DAMIEN OLIVER Onemorenomore 6th

“He ran well. He settled nicely in front but raced on his wrong leg. Led with his Sydney leg the whole way around. He wasn’t comfortable on the bend and just sort of drifted out. When the horses got past him he rallied again over the last 200m.”

PETER ROBL Gathering 7th

He wanted to over-race. He ran an honest race but just didn’t run the journey.

MARK ZAHRA Prinsom 8th.

He went okay. He will be a nice stayer.

CRAIG WILLIAMS Our Heir Apparent 9th

Very disappointing. Not the horse he was at Geelong.

CRAIG NEWITT Commonage Close 10th

He has had enough.

(Comments from Derby jockeys provided courtesy of Rebecca Elliott, Racing Victoria Public Relations Co-Ordinator).