Front running colt Thinkin’ Big has drawn barrier nine in the capacity field for the 2018 Group 1 $2m AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.

Thinkin' Big, above, draws barrier 9 in the 2018 Victoria Derby at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Thinkin’ Big, above, draws barrier 9 in the 2018 Victoria Derby at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

A final field of sixteen plus two emergencies made up the numbers for the Victoria Derby and the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Thinkin’ Big will jump from gate seven is both the reserves fail to gain a start.

Tim Clark gets the ride again after being aboard the High Chaparral colt for his three Spring Carnival starts which resulted with a first up win in the Group 3 $200,000 360DMG Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill followed by a third in the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick and then another all the win in the Group 3 $350,000 Ladbrokes Classic (2000m) at Caulfield.

The Waterhouse – Bott Team said that the Group 1 $7.3m Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington next Tuesday is also an option but they will wait until after the Victoria Derby before finalising that venture.

“We haven’t given the Melbourne Cup a huge amount of thought with the three-year-old, we just want to get through our first goal which is the Derby but we have left the option open to run in the Cup,’’ Bott told The Daily Telegraph.

“The Derby is what we set out to do, what we set out to achieve.’’

“It’s a prestigious race, we would love to be able to win it and this way we are giving him his chance.

“He has had a good grounding for the Derby and he is bred to see out the 2500m.’’

Trainer Darren Weir’s two Victoria Derby runners were out of luck at the barrier draw with Extra Brut drawing gate fifteen in the original draw while Savoie came up with gate seventeen with both to move in two spots if both of the emergencies fail to gain a start.

John Allen gets the ride again on Extra Brut after being aboard for his last four starts which included a hat trick of wins before his last start sixth to Thinkin’ Big in the Ladbrokes Classic while Dean Yendall has also been the regular rider for Savoie for his last four starts and the colt will back up in the Victoria Derby following his second to Stars Of Carrum in the Group 2 $200,000 Drummond Golf Vase (2040m) at The Valley last Saturday.

The Robbie Laing trained Stars Of Carrum is also backing up after his Drummond Golf Vase win and has drawn nicely at barrier seven with Ben Melham in the saddle again.

The Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig will have three runners in the 2018 Victoria Derby, Mickey Blue Eyes (Regan Bayliss, barrier 3), Seberate (Cory Parish, barrier 18) and Sikorsky (Luke Nolan, barrier 6).

Betting for the 2018 Victoria Derby at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3 Thinkin’ Big, $6.50 Aramayo, $8 Extra Brut, $10 Savoie, $11 Chapada, $13 Sikorsky, Stars Of Carrum, Mickey Blue Eyes, $15 Farooq, Savvy Oak, $26 Alessandro, Visao, $31 Home Ground, $51 Tolemac, Grinzinger Star, Vow And Declare, $101 Louie The Legend, Sebarate.

Final field for the 2018 Victoria Derby (2500m)

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Hcp Rating
1 131131 THINKIN’ BIG Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 9 55.5kg 91
2 214123 ARAMAYO James Cummings Tye Angland 10 55.5kg 88
3 21116 EXTRA BRUT Darren Weir John Allen 15 55.5kg 78
4 78×647221 STARS OF CARRUM Robbie Laing Ben Melham 7 55.5kg 89
5 4115×6381 HOME GROUND John Sargent Hugh Bowman 16 55.5kg 74
6 259×1155 MICKEY BLUE EYES David & B Hayes & T Dabernig Regan Bayliss 3 55.5kg 73
7 5321132 SAVOIE Darren Weir Dean Yendall 17 55.5kg 78
8 711704 VISAO Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Damian Lane 13 55.5kg 69
9 200×969430 SEBERATE David & B Hayes & T Dabernig Cory Parish 18 55.5kg 67
10 6512 CHAPADA Michael Moroney James McDonald 12 55.5kg 68
11 7×26123 SIKORSKY David & B Hayes & T Dabernig Luke Nolen 6 55.5kg 67
12 1x45x19892 FAROOQ Tony McEvoy Kerrin McEvoy 2 55.5kg 68
13 715×22340 LOUIE THE LEGEND Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Dwayne Dunn 11 55.5kg 62
14 18464 SAVVY OAK (NZ) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Mark Zahra 5 55.5kg 66
15 124 TOLEMAC Francis Finnegan Michael Dee 14 55.5kg 64
16 93313 GRINZINGER STAR (NZ) Danny O’Brien Damien Oliver 4 55.5kg 65
17e 151 ALESSANDRO Robbie Griffiths Ben Thompson 1 55.5kg 67
18e 8321 VOW AND DECLARE Danny O’Brien James Winks 8 55.5kg 62

The post Thinkin’ Big draws barrier 9 in capacity 2018 Victoria Derby field appeared first on HorseRacing.com.au.