The Patrick Payne-trained Dunkel rallied late returning to winning form with an exciting victory in Adelaide’s 2023 South Australian Derby results on Saturday.
2023 SA Derby winner Dunkel (pictured in Melbourne) was given a perfectly timed ride to win the Group 1 in Adelaide. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Dundeel gelding was in super form over the summer stringing together four wins on the trot including Hobart’s Listed Tasmanian Derby (2200m).
He resumed on March 18 at The Valley when unplaced in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) before bouncing back getting out over further in the Group 1 $500,000 South Australian Derby (2500m).
It was a terrific training performance by the Plumpton-based Payne, winner of the 1994 SA Derby as a jockey aboard the Mick Kent-trained Bullwinkle, who had the horse spot on fresh off a two-month let-up to hand him his maiden Group 1 trophy as a trainer.
Dunkel was given a perfectly-timed ride by jockey Billy Egan who also celebrated his first Group 1 success in the saddle.
“It’s good to get the monkey off the back,” Egan told Racing.com after the important elite level victory.
The well-backed Promises Kept having his first run for the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace stable looked like saluting for the punters leading all-the-way before being denied victory the closing stages by the fast-finishing Dunkel.
Promises Kept got out to lead the field around in the 149th edition of the time-honoured event and gave a lovely kick on the straight hitting another gear with 300m then 200m to go.
Egan on the eventual SA Derby winner however was able to reel in the favourite having worked up into fourth approaching the home turn after getting shuffled back earlier in running.
Dunkel ($8) rallied late and exploded inside the final 50m to defeated Promises Kept ($4F) by three-quarters of a length with Aberfeldie Boy ($10) two lengths off the winner in third.
“We had to work our way through them,” Egan said.
“He’s got that sort of killer instinct. Every horse out there he wants to pass and that’s what he did.
“The further we got into the straight the harder my bloke tried and, as I said, when he sees a horse in front of him, he wants to pass it.”
2023 South Australian Derby Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | DUNKEL (NZ) | Patrick Payne | Billy Egan | 7 | 56.5kg | $8 | |||
| 2 | 9 | PROMISES KEPT | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Mark Zahra | 0.7L | 8 | 56.5kg | $4F | ||
| 3 | 2 | ABERFELDIE BOY | Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock | Craig Newitt | 2.2L | 13 | 56.5kg | $10 | ||
| 4 | 7 | LOCO | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Damien Oliver | 2.3L | 12 | 56.5kg | $10 | ||
| 5 | 6 | BENGAL BOY | Matt Cumani | Declan Bates | 2.6L | 6 | 56.5kg | $61 | ||
| 6 | 5 | RED SUN SENSATION | Peter G Moody | Brian Higgins | 4L | 9 | 56.5kg | $26 | ||
| 7 | 4 | HIGH APPROACH | Dan O’Sullivan | John Allen | 5.8L | 4 | 56.5kg | $12 | ||
| 8 | 14 | RESERVOIR DOG | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Jake Toeroek | 6.1L | 11 | 56.5kg | $91 | ||
| 9 | 13 | NORTHERN BARRAGE | Michael Kent | Jason Holder | 6.1L | 5 | 56.5kg | $26 | ||
| 10 | 16 | SHE’S FIT | Daniel Morton | Chris Parnham | 6.5L | 10 | 54.5kg | $4.20 | ||
| 11 | 1 | SUIZURO | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Opie Bosson | 7.2L | 16 | 56.5kg | $8 | ||
| 12 | 12 | CAPTAIN PLUTO (NZ) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Daniel Moor | 8.9L | 1 | 56.5kg | $91 | ||
| 13 | 15 | PRINCE TIKEA | Travis Doudle | Dom Tourneur | 9.3L | 2 | 56.5kg | $151 | ||
| 14 | 8 | GOTTABESAVVY (NZ) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Todd Pannell | 9.8L | 15 | 56.5kg | $61 | ||
| 15 | 11 | DUNWOODY (NZ) | Matt Cumani | Jarrod Fry | 11.8L | 3 | 56.5kg | $81 | ||
| 16 | 10 | AIN’T HE GRAND | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Ben Allen | 33.4L | 14 | 56.5kg | $41 | ||
| 19e | IMPENDING LINK | Greg Eurell | 0 | |||||||
| 20e | SAMUEL LANGHORNE (NZ) | Michael Kent | 0 | |||||||
| 17e | XTRAREVZ | John Sargent | Kerrin McEvoy | 0 | ||||||
| 18e | NIGHTSUN | Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock | 0 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
