Being a late scratching from a race at Caulfield may just prove to be a blessing in disguise for the Victoria Derby chances of Red Aces.
The Nick Ryan-trained colt was scratched at the barrier from the Group 3 Caulfield Classic (2000m) last Saturday after playing up in the gates and instead Red Aces heads to the Group 2 Drummond Golf Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Ryan said Red Aces had taken some skin off a hock in the mishap, but there was no swelling, and the colt was taken to the beach on Sunday morning for recovery.
Red Aces did some work at Flemington on Monday before appearing with stablemate Harracaine at ‘Breakfast With The Best’ at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning.
Ryan has had the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 2 as Red Aces Spring target since the colt scored at Flemington over 1800m in July.
He said had last week’s mishap happened at The Valley on Saturday, then his Derby plans would have been trashed.
But how the Caulfield Classic unfolded, Ryan said he did not believe Red Aces would have achieved a lot of benefit from the outing.
“If anything and looking how the race was run last Saturday at a very slow tempo, it could be a real blessing in disguise missing that race,” Ryan said.
“With what was in the Caulfield Classic, I don’ t know if you want to be taking much out of that heading into the Derby.
“That was very slowly run, a dash home and it’s probably not an ideal Derby lead-up run, so I’m thinking positively anyway.”
Ryan said he had been confident of success last Saturday, before watching how the race unfolded, and enters Saturday’s contest confident Red Aces will be up to the task.
He said the only work Red Aces had missed because of the mishap was a gallop last Saturday.
Red Aces had a good gallop on Tuesday and Ryan insisted the colt was over the ‘minor speedhump’.
“The more and more I think about it, the type of horse he is, a bouncy Dundeel colt, I think the seven-day back-up is ideal,” Ryan said.
“I’ve had a lot of success with it in the past and I think it’s a good recipe.”