Emerging WA star heading east for 2015 Victoria Derby

H-BOMBER · October 2015

nosoup4u said:
from 31's to 9's.... Adam knows what's he's doing.

61s bet early, Ozbet let me have $2 on :)) 8-|

Got a good chunck of the 41s.

H-BOMBER · October 2015

the falcon said:
a rather unorthodox prep. for a taxing 2500m at Flemington... :-??

So is winning a Railway first up.

therealkramer · October 2015

therealkramer said:

Voodoo said:

the falcon said:

the falcon said:
a rather unorthodox prep. for a taxing 2500m at Flemington... :-??

Is the horse a definite starter or is it as a back up? I thought the plan was to go to the Caulfield Classic at Geelong next week?

jum · October 2015

I UNLOADED AT $34 :-j $-)

Legless · October 2015

accepted for the 1500m race on Saturday

therealkramer · October 2015

therealkramer said:

therealkramer said:

Voodoo said:

the falcon said:

the falcon said:
a rather unorthodox prep. for a taxing 2500m at Flemington... :-??
Is the horse a definite starter or is it as a back up? I thought the plan was to go to the Caulfield Classic at Geelong next week?

That should read 'Geelong' Classic, not Caulfield 8-}

Fastmoney · October 2015

KOK likely to trial at Lark Hill on Monday and fly out tuesday.

jum · October 2015

No Koutou in star stable :-t

Gilgamesh · October 2015

Surely they are going to add him in

thefalcon · October 2015

on his prep. there is no way he would be competitive...think of the one from here that went over lasy year...100m last.

Gilgamesh · October 2015

the falcon said:
on his prep. there is no way he would be competitive...think of the one from here that went over lasy year...100m last.

Falc he is a million miles better than that horse, he is a stayer being trained by someone who knows what a good horse is not being taken over there because the owners want to have a runner Vic Derby day.

You've had the negatives on this the whole way through and I have to say I think you are going to be proven wrong. At worst he will be competitive but I truly believe he can win it. There are no Preferments amongst this bunch of male 3yr old. Tarzino was the obvious flashing light on the weekend but other than him there doesn't look to be any that can stay.

Durrant has openly said that he believes this is the best horse he has had his hands on, he has had his hands on some pretty good ones!

Get behind them falc, it's not too late to join the bandwagon!

Sticks · October 2015

$41 is looking juicy right now! and i think the money for the horse shows that it has some chance? and you don't see a trainer like Durrant get THIS excited over a horse very often. go the Koutou!!!

Thoroly_Bread · October 2015

I'm not to sure still, good luck to them though I would do the same thing given the opportunity

thefalcon · October 2015

guess I am just a realist, gilga....of course I wish him well.

a glaring negative imho is the jock...those Melbourne/Sydney jocks will have joey on toast.

I would have thought Adam would have learned his lesson with Dan & Mr. Moet.

loyalty is a great thing but when there is millions at stake you do not want a top hoop sitting on his bum in the jocks room, do you?

joe could be completely over awed at the occasion as it is a bloody big deal.

paraletic · October 2015

Oh please tell me he isn't going with a perth jockey? Why oh why? gone from a decent chance to no chance! :(

thefalcon · October 2015

yep, smokin' joey, para..... :-??

Sticks · October 2015

dont forget smokin joey did a stint over in Melbourne, so its not like he doesn't know the track!!

jum · October 2015

I think he will win running away from them.

Adam Knows his **** Falcon. This Horse is no Prentice.

The hoop is a slight concern. But you never know. remember miracles of life

:-bd

BobbyDavis · October 2015

You'd think with a live chance in a race worth a sh!tload of money, they'd be putting a successful, in-form eastern-states rider on. Simple as that.

Credit to them for being loyal though, it's something almost non-existent these days. However if this was a poll, it would be largely one way traffic.

therealkramer · October 2015

He needs to settle in front of Tarzino and just make it a staying test, but the gap between runs probably won't help him. Tarzino is a deserved fav after his run on Saturday in the Vase, defying the rails bias to make ground out wide,

magoo83 · October 2015

Tarzino and pay up bro will dominate this race

3rd IMO is as close as KOK will get

Fastmoney · October 2015

HOW THE WEST CAN WIN THE VRC DERBY

By: Trent Masenhelder - @tmase04

Joseph Azzopardi rides Kia Ora Koutou in the VRC Derby. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images.

YOUNG WA JOCKEY Joseph Azzopardi believes Kia Ora Koutou, a star of
the west, will take a power of beating in Saturday’s Group 1 Victoria
Derby (2500m) at Flemington.

A Pinjarra maiden winner on debut over 1400m in August, followed by
three consecutive wins at Belmont, sees the Adam Durrant-trained gelding
head into the classic unbeaten and on the second line of betting
(CrownBet has him at $8 behind Mick Price’s $2.30 favourite Tarzino).

And although his candidate faces a sharp class rise at Flemington,
Azzopardi, who’s ridden Kia Ora Koutou in all four starts, is bullish
about his prospects.

“I think he can win, he said. “He travelled over good, he’s here for a
reason, and Adam (Durrant) and I have faith in the horse. I’ll think
he’ll definitely be in the finish.”

As history shows, many good three-year-olds have failed to stay the 2500m of the Derby at their first attempt.

Azzopardi, though, insists he doesn’t have to worry about that with his mount, pointing to his strong staying pedigree.

Kia Ora Koutou is by 1999 Victoria Derby winner Blackfriars, out of
Kia Ora Miss (by Melbourne Cup winner Jeune), the winner of the 2006
Listed Belmont Oaks (2000m). This is a classic Lindsay Park pedigree:
Kia Ora Miss’s mother Precious Stone is by the 1986 Melbourne Cup
winner, At Talaq.

“He’s so relaxed. He’s going to stay all day,” Azzopardi added. “He
switches off in the run and has a great turn of foot at the end. He’ll
have no trouble getting the distance and he’s going to be attacking the
line strong.”

The 20-year-old reckons the market has it right, claiming Tarzino is a deserving favourite.

The Tavistock colt turned in an eye-catching run in The Vase (2040m),
the traditional Derby lead up, at Moonee Valley on Saturday, defying
the pattern of the day to storm home and grab third behind the equal
favourite, Jameka.

“I watched its run. It came from last and it hit the line good, so it’s the one to beat,” Azzopardi said.

Last year, Azzopardi spent five months in Melbourne riding for Leon
and Troy Corstens, and while admitting homesickness got the better of
him, he claims the experience was invaluable.

“It’s probably the best thing I’ve done,” he said. “Riding with guys
like Damien Oliver and Glen Boss, they help you out all the time.”

Azzopardi was first exposed to horses through his sister, who
competed in eventing. One of his mates suggested he try race riding.

So, he did, and five years and some 190 winners later, Azzopardi finds himself aboard a live chance in a $1.5 million race.

“A Group 1 at Flemington is definitely the biggest race I’ll have
ridden in,” he said. “It’s still a few days out from the race, so the
nerves are pretty good right now. I think I should be all right.

“I know the track as I’ve ridden at Flemington before—just not in front of 100,000 people.”

There’s no doubt the young gun has a good head on his shoulders, the smart judges in the west will tell you that.

But, like any 20-year-old, Azzopardi dares to dream.

“If we won on Saturday it would be massive,” he said excitedly. “I
don’t know really know how to explain it. To win a Group 1, especially
the Victoria Derby, it’d be huge for my career.”

A hit and run visit from Perth to take the Derby is not unprecedented
in recent years. In 2004 Lindsey Smith’s Plastered landed some big bets
to win the classic. He later won the Group 1 WA Derby the following
January.

therealkramer · October 2015

magoo83 said:
Tarzino and pay up bro will dominate this race

3rd IMO is as close as KOK will get

I actually think the Godolphin horse, Etymology is way over the odds. It went enormous thruogh the line in the Norman Robinson at Caulfield last start and that race and the Vase are the strong pointers to Derby winners. I'm not sure the Derby has been a favs race in recent times either and you definitely don't want to be drawing wide if history tells you anything.

Rex · October 2015

Good luck to the connections. What a thrill it must be for Joseph Azzopardi, great to see him get the chance.

All reports say he is a hard worker and deserves all the success he gets.

Go for it Joseph.

goose · October 2015

The Derby has been throwing up some real upsets over the last few years he is a huge chance great pedigree for the job most of these wont stay the fav will be very hard to beat obviously but sometimes a leaderish bias on derby day if they can get going early Tarzino might find trouble.

TheDiva · October 2015

Agree go get em Joe!

DamienWyer · October 2015

I don't know if Vanbrugh will accept, but he will be hard to get past if he does.

tony · October 2015

Vanbrugh is already in the paddock Damo.

TheFunkster · October 2015

Best of luck Uncle Len (Moore) with Kia Ora Koutou.

However i'm on Get The Picture at $19. Have a look at his last 2 runs. It has Derby written all over em.

DamienWyer · October 2015

tony said:
Vanbrugh is already in the paddock Damo.

OK they didn't really indicate if he was certain for the Derby when I spoke with staff there last week. I said that if he won a VRC Derby it would detract from his stud value in my opinion, but the Doncaster or Guineas that they were also thinking of would make him as a Stallion. If he wins one of those, the $4-5M asking price will seem like a very good deal.

G'day Punter!

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HOW THE WEST CAN WIN THE VRC DERBY