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Prima is likely to be given the opportunity to shed his title as the country’s top maiden galloper in Saturday’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby.
The son of Sir Percy has performed with distinction against the best of his age group and a satisfactory track gallop on Tuesday morning will confirm his spot in the TV3-sponsored feature.
Prima’s connections are prepared to part with the $22,500 late entry fee to give him his classic chance at Ellerslie.“We’ll see after he has a gallop, but he’s really well at the moment,” Te Awamutu trainer Doug Cave said.
Prima’s rapid development has come as no surprise to Cave, who has no doubt the gelding will relish the 2400 metres of the Derby.“He’s always showed us a lot and he’ll run the trip no problem,” he said.
Prima ran fourth in an Ellerslie maiden over 1400 metres at his second appearance in January and then finished third, at odds of better than $130-1, to Mongolian Khan and Giant Turtle in the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas.He showed that was no flash in the pan when he split the current Derby favourite and Volkstok’n’barrell in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas.
Prima’s connections will opt for experience should the Derby plan come to fruition with Mark Du Plessis booked to replace the apprentice Brendan Hutton at Ellerslie.Meanwhile, the three-year-old’s talented stablemate Sir Andrew is making good progress toward an overdue return to the racetrack.
Also a son of the English Derby winner Sir Percy, he won two of his three starts from Richard Otto’s yard and has been side-lined by injury since he claimed the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas in 2013.“He’s come good now and he’s in work and doing a bit of swimming,” Cave said “He’ll be back in late autumn.”