Australian Derby Tips, Betting Preview and Odds

The Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) will be run at Royal Randwick on Saturday, April 4 and Bettingpro.com.au provides you with a comprehensive guide to the race.

Australian Derby Final Field and Barrier Draw

The final field and barrier draw for the Australian Derby:

1. CASTELVECCHIO Richard Litt – James McDonald (9) 56.5kg
2. SHADOW HERO Mark Newnham – Joshua Parr (7) 56.5kg
3. WARNING Anthony Freedman – Tommy Berry (10) 56.5kg
4. SHERWOOD FOREST Tony Pike – Kerrin McEvoy (12) 56.5kg
5. ERIC THE EEL Stuart Kendrick – TBA (11) 56.5kg
6. QUICK THINKER Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman – Opie Bosson (6) 56.5kg
7. ZEBROWSKI (NZ) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes – Hugh Bowman (4) 56.5kg
8. CHAINS OF HONOUR Gerald Ryan – Robbie Brewer (5) 56.5kg
9. SKIDDAW Danny O’Brien – Brenton Avdulla (2) 56.5kg
10. DIASONIC Richard Laming – Tim Clark (1) 56.5kg
11. GET THE IDEA John Sargent – TBA (8) 56.5kg
12. SACRAMENTO Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott – Adam Hyeronimus (3) 56.5kg

Australian Derby Odds

Castelvecchio is the race favourite for the Derby with BetEasy.

Castelvecchio $3.30
Shadow Hero $3.60
Warning $5.00
Quick Thinker $8.50
Zebrowski $12
Sherwood Forest $15
Eric The Eel $26
Skiddaw $26
Diasonic $26
Sacramento $51
Chains Of Honour $101
Get The Idea $101

Australian Derby Tips

Deep down, I’m confident we will see the emergence of a star in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Royal Randwick.

The Richard Litt-trained CASTELVECCHIO has already proven himself as a talented racehorse having won the $2 million Inglis Millennium (1200m) at his second race start as well as defeating Loving Gabby in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at his fifth start.

He raced quite dour over shorter trips next campaign but improved third-up when finishing 2nd to Shadow Hero in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m).

As an emerging three-year-old, he then took on the best in the Cox Plate where a bold ride by Craig Williams saw him defeat all bar Japanese star Lys Gracieux.

Peak pattern and peak BM performances suggest Castelvecchio is the one to beat, and he’s found form at the right time and is likely to go to a new level on Saturday.

The only query is the distance, but everything he’s done to date suggests he’s got the best stamina in the race, and a quiet ride behind the speed should see him explode away from them in the straight.