WATC Derby Day 2011 will take place at WA’s Ascot Racecourse this Saturday April 2, the metro meet featuring an excellent eight-race line-up.
The richest and most anticipated race on the Ascot programme this weekend is the 2011 Schweppes WATC Derby.
Playing God is one of the best horses in the 2011 WATC Derby field
An elite-level showdown for three-year-old stayers, the $500,000 Group 1 WATC Derby (2400m) is set to run as Ascot Race 7 at 7:30pm (AEDST).
Featuring a classy field of 16 gallopers, early favourites to become this year’s WATC Derby are Dreamaway ($3) and Playing God ($3.90).
Both of the favourites have drawn wide with Grant Williams’ More Than Ready filly Dreamaway in barrier 13 and Group 1 winning Blackfriars colt Playing God in gate 14.
Dreamaway is seeking her fifth win on the trot having most recently come home first in the Group 3 WA Oaks at this track and distance last Saturday.
The Neville Parnham-trained Playing God is one of Perth’s best having won the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) last season and running third in both the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington in March.
The other Group race on the 2011 WATC Derby Day schedule for Saturday is Ascot Race 5 – the $200,000 Group 3 W.A. Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) where Benny’s Halo is the two-year-old to beat.
Below is the full WATC Derby Day 2011 Race Schedule complete with the Ascot fields for all of Saturday’s showdowns, the jump time of each event and the early favourites with the punters.
Stay tuned for the Races.com.au insider WATC Derby Day betting tips to be published shortly along with our picks for the highly anticipated Golden Slipper Day programme at Rosehill this Saturday.
Ascot Race Programme – WATC Derby Day 02/04/2011
Race #1 PLAYERONLINE.COM.AU HANDICAP (1800m) – 3:30pm (AEDST)
- Early Favourite: #8 Giant’s Island
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LAMBTON CASTLE | Brad Graham | Shaun Meeres | 7 | 58 |
| 2 | DAJRAAN | Grant Williams | Kyra Yuill (a1.5) | 10 | 57 |
| 3 | DASH INCREDIBLE | Kellie Kersley | Daniel Staeck | 6 | 56 |
| 4 | FRIAR’S TOUCH | Jarrad Humphries | Jessica Valas | 5 | 56 |
| 5 | BODGIE BUSINESS | Mick Sheehy (Snr) | Alan Kennedy | 12 | 54 |
| 6 | BOW ROAD | Bruce Watkins | Jason Whiting | 13 | 54 |
| 7 | ETERNAL ADVICE | Gerry Hughes | William Pike | 3 | 54 |
| 8 | GIANT’S ISLAND | Tracey Jones | Ben Kennedy (a2) | 2 | 54 |
| 9 | ROCK PRINCE | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 4 | 54 |
| 10 | SILK FORCE | Vivienne Ferrier | Damian Lane (a2) | 8 | 54 |
| 11 | SMART TWISTER | Lindsey Smith | Ryan Hill (a3) | 11 | 54 |
| 12 | VERSONIC | Warren Radford | Peter Knuckey | 1 | 54 |
| 13 | ZEDIKING | Neville Parnham | Brad Parnham | 9 | 54 |
Race #2 WESTSPEED 3YO HANDICAP (1100m) – 4:20pm (AEDST)
- Early Favourite: #2 Lacie
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE REGULATOR | Trevor Andrews | Ben Kennedy (a2) | 3 | 57 |
| 2 | LACIE | Lou Luciani | Jason Whiting | 8 | 56 |
| 3 | SHAWAIM | Gerry Hughes | Jessica Valas | 9 | 56 |
| 4 | LEE RANI | John Lugg | Eliza Finger (a3) | 12 | 55.5 |
| 5 | ULTIMATE FIGHTER | Rob Wells | Troy Turner | 10 | 55.5 |
| 6 | KIDDY CAT | David Harrison | William Pike | 7 | 55 |
| 7 | MISS TAHITIAN | Frank Maynard | Shaun Meeres | 5 | 55 |
| 8 | CAVALLO PAZZO | Ted Martinovich | Peter Knuckey | 4 | 54.5 |
| 9 | BERENZONI | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 1 | 53.5 |
| 10 | ROMP TO FAME | Fred Kersley | Lisa Bivemark | 11 | 53.5 |
| 11 | BENEVOUS | Dave Casey | Brad Parnham | 6 | 53 |
| 12 | RIVOTOR | Dave Casey | Chloe Chatfield | 2 | 53 |
Race #3 PEPSI HANDICAP (1500m) – 5:05pm (AEDST)
- Early Favourite: #4 Rebel Fury
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLUB LIQUID | Albie Beckett | Campbell Mc Callum (a2) | 9 | 59.5 |
| 2 | ON THE CARPET | Sharon Miller | Duncan Miller (a2) | 5 | 58.5 |
| 3 | CORONATE | Simon A Miller | Michael Grantham (a3) | 3 | 57.5 |
| 4 | REBEL FURY | Shane A Edwards | Damian Lane (a2) | 10 | 57 |
| 5 | SPEEDYMAC | Brett Pope | Ryan Hill (a3) | 7 | 57 |
| 6 | PHILBY | George Daly | Paul Harvey | 11 | 56 |
| 7 | KESHAAR | Fred Kersley | Daniel Staeck | 8 | 55 |
| 8 | STAR BUCK | Angela Smith | Peter Black | 2 | 55 |
| 9 | ANOTHER CLANGER | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 1 | 54.5 |
| 10 | GENERAL ALBERT | Steven Ryan | Ben Kennedy (a2) | 4 | 53.5 |
| 11 | LUNAR MODULE | Neville Parnham | Brad Parnham | 6 | 53 |
Race #4 SCHWEPPERVESENCE HANDICAP (1200m) – 5:45pm (AEDST)
- Early Favourite: #6 Mabel Grace
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GREY MONARCH | Ivan Haggerty | Michael Grantham (a3) | 6 | 61 |
| 2 | ESTIARTE | Stefan Vahala | Brad Parnham | 3 | 57.5 |
| 3 | LIQUIDATION | Darryn Pateman | Ben Kennedy (a2) | 10 | 57.5 |
| 4 | SHEENASAIDGREY | Jim P Taylor | Damian Lane (a2) | 9 | 57 |
| 5 | LEANONUS | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 1 | 56.5 |
| 6 | MABEL GRACE | Adam Durrant | Troy Turner | 4 | 56 |
| 7 | TERADA | Lou Luciani | Jason Whiting | 5 | 54.5 |
| 8 | NOMUNNOFUN | Keith Jeffreys | Ryan Hill (a3) | 11 | 54 |
| 9 | SPORTING FELLA | Wendy Miller | Danny Miller | 2 | 54 |
| 10 | DANTE’S ALERT | Sharon Miller | Duncan Miller (a2) | 7 | 53.5 |
| 11 | ABSOLUTE PLEASURE | Trevor Andrews | William Pike | 8 | 53 |
Race #5 W.A. SIRES’ PRODUCE STAKES (1400m) – 6:20pm (AEDST)
- Early Favourite: #1 Benny’s Halo
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BENNY’S HALO | Neville Smith | Jeffrey Berry | 3 | 56 |
| 2 | LETHAL JONES | Lou Luciani | Jason Brown | 6 | 56 |
| 3 | SINGLE SPICE | Simon A Miller | Peter Knuckey | 8 | 54 |
| 4 | VALLEY GIRL | Lou Luciani | Jason Whiting | 2 | 54 |
| 5 | IN EDEN’S HONOUR | Jeremy Easthope | Damian Lane (a) | 7 | 54 |
| 6 | SAXABELLE | Trevor Andrews | Shaun O’Donnell | 5 | 54 |
| 7 | BLISS STREET | Daniel Morton | William Pike | 9 | 54 |
| 8 | BIM BOM BAY | Joe Byrne | Paul Harvey | 1 | 54 |
| 9 | PUBLIC PERCEPTION | Craig Wright | Troy Turner | 4 | 54 |
Race #6 MISS ANDRETTI STAKES (1200m) – 6:55pm (AEDST)
- Early Favourite: #11 Wolfe Dreams
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HADABECLORKA | Brent Larsson | William Pike | 7 | 60 |
| 2 | TARZI | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 2 | 56.5 |
| 3 | ESCADAIRE (NZ) | Raquel Mills | Kyra Yuill (a) | 3 | 56 |
| 4 | LONDON | Dean White | Shaun O’Donnell | 1 | 55.5 |
| 5 | CASPER COWBOY | David Harrison | Paul Harvey | 8 | 54.5 |
| 6 | KEYTOMONEY | Michael Lane | Damian Lane (a) | 11 | 54 |
| 7 | FOXY BOY | Brent Larsson | Jason Whiting | 9 | 53.5 |
| 8 | HENRY DE HORSE | Derek Jones | Alan Kennedy | 5 | 53 |
| 9 | MEKONG MISS | David Harrison | Takahide Ikenushi | 10 | 53 |
| 10 | STEEL THE EMPIRE | Frances Taylor | Troy Turner | 6 | 53 |
| 11 | WOLFE DREAMS | Steve Wolfe | Jason Brown | 4 | 53 |
Race #7 SCHWEPPES W.A.T.C. DERBY (2400m) – 7:30pm (AEDST)
- Early Favourite: #13 Dreamaway
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PLAYING GOD | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 14 | 56 |
| 2 | VERACIOUS | Trevor Andrews | Patrick Carbery | 2 | 56 |
| 3 | VIEW THE STARS | Paul Jordan | Brad Parnham | 15 | 56 |
| 4 | THE TENBY FRIAR | Jim P Taylor | Jason Brown | 6 | 56 |
| 5 | RIO DANE | Frankie Maynard | Shaun Meeres | 1 | 56 |
| 6 | BIG JOSH | Daniel Morton | Shaun O’Donnell | 3 | 56 |
| 7 | DISCOVERERS | George Daly | Peter Knuckey | 5 | 56 |
| 8 | MR MOET | Adam Durrant | Peter Hall | 7 | 56 |
| 9 | AMBERS KINGDOM | Sharon Miller | Duncan Miller (a) | 9 | 56 |
| 10 | DOODELICIOUS | Paige Kenney | Takahide Ikenushi | 12 | 56 |
| 11 | CHIRON | Lou Luciani | Jason Whiting | 4 | 56 |
| 12 | THE PURPLE PARROT | Stan Bates | Alan Kennedy | 16 | 56 |
| 13 | DREAMAWAY | Grant Williams | William Pike | 13 | 54 |
| 14 | WHY SHE LEFT | Vernon Brockman | Paul Harvey | 10 | 54 |
| 15 | MOONLIGHT BAY | Grant Williams | Kyra Yuill (a) | 8 | 54 |
| 16 | IHTSATUNE | Fred Kersley | Daniel Staeck | 11 | 54 |
Race #8 AGRUM COLLECTION HANDICAP (1400m) – 8:05pm (AEDST)
- Early Favourite: #9 Afortunato
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DON’TROCKTHEBOAT | Jade Pateman | Peter Knuckey | 10 | 58 |
| 2 | GREAT’N’GREY | Stephen Miller | Kyra Yuill (a1.5) | 4 | 57 |
| 3 | AWAY YE GO | Justine Erkelens | Shaun O’Donnell | 12 | 56.5 |
| 4 | STEEL BARS | Bruce McClune | Danny Miller | 1 | 56.5 |
| 5 | METAL TALK | Michael Lane | Damian Lane (a2) | 14 | 56 |
| 6 | RIVERSIDE DRIVE | Darren Mcauliffe | Jason Whiting | 2 | 56 |
| 7 | SWORD MASTER | Lou Luciani | Shaun Meeres | 3 | 56 |
| 8 | SILENT HERO | Jeff Pike | Ben Kennedy (a2) | 5 | 55.5 |
| 9 | AFORTUNATO | Brett Pope | Troy Turner | 9 | 55 |
| 10 | TRIPLE KEN | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 13 | 54 |
| 11 | LAGOBELL | Neville Parnham | Brad Parnham | 6 | 53.5 |
| 12 | ON THE WARPATH | Kellie Kersley | Lisa Bivemark | 8 | 53.5 |
| 13 | REALE FURY | David Harrison | William Pike | 11 | 53.5 |
| 14 | AUSSIE LARRYCAN | Charlie Spencer | Jeffrey Berry | 7 | 53 |
