POLANSKI, the $4000 yearling who is a direct descendant of the legendary Phar Lap, derailed the Darley juggernaut in the $1.5 million Victoria Derby at Flemington tomorrow.
Trainer Robbie Laing celebrated his biggest win while Sydney's champion jockey Hugh Bowman won his third Derby in four years as Polanski outstayed Complacent.
Laing revealed he had been so confident of winning Australia's racing's oldest classic - the Victoria Derby was first run in 1855 - he sent a text to two of the horse's owners yesterday morning with a simple message; "Don't worry, there will be a margin!''
Even Laing's final words to Bowman before the race were succinct.
"I said to Hughie I had 45 rides for one win - who am I to tell you anything,'' Laing revealed. "Go out there and ride your race.''
Bowman again demonstrated why he is regarded as without peer as a rider of stayers with another masterful effort on Polanski to claim his third win in the classic after his previous successes with Lion Tamer (2010) and Sangster (2011).
But Bowman was typically modest and deflected all praise to Laing.
"Robbie has obviously sourced this horse from a young age for little money and got him here today looking a picture,'' Bowman said,.
"He's a wonderful looking animal and my gut feeling is that he's going to get better as he gets older."
Bowman said Polanski struck trouble at the first corner due to the muddling upfront tempo.
"About the 1400m it picked up considerably and it was just what I needed,'' Bowman said.
"It played into my favour because my horse got into a beautiful rhythm at that stage and I was able to hold him in that rhythm until the leaders started to tire at the 600m.
Hugh Bowman said Polanski struck trouble at the first corner due to the muddling upfront tempo.
"I just got him out into the clear and they were falling in front of me and I had so much horse and if I started to try to hold onto him I was going to disappoint him and I didn't want to do that so I let him strode.
"He's a lot stronger than the last two Derby winners I've ridden and while I'd say Lion Tamer might have been a bit more brilliant than him, this horse is certainly stronger. He is going to be a horse of the future."
Polanski ($5.50) lived up to Laing's bold prediction and did put a "margin'' on his rivals, drawing away to win by three lengths from Complacent ($7) with Thunder Fantasy ($31) a further one-and-a-quarter lengths away third, while Criterion came from last to finish fourth.
Savvy Nature was backed into $4 favouritism but he was struggling from the top of the straight and beat only two to the line in the 16-horse Derby field.
Polanski's win again demonstrates what a great leveller racing can be.
Laing described Polanksi's Derby triumph as "an absolute fairytale" and it was hard to argue with him.
The trainer purchased the then-yearling for just $4000 at the 2012 Melbourne Autumn Yearling Sales.
He didn't realise then that Polanski was so closely related to Phar Lap, the 1929 Victoria Derby winner - he only discovered that fact when he traced his colt's pedigree on Derby eve.
But Laing had admired Polanski's sire, Rakti as a racehorse and when that stallion died, he wanted to get buy one of his progeny from his final crop of yearlings.
"So many times in racing a stallion will pass away and get a good one in his last crop,'' Laing explained. "When his sire, Rakti died, I thought I might get one of his yearlings.
"Rakti was a cantankerous type and many trainers thought they would be in for a 'war' with his sons so many were gelded.
"I wanted to try a Rakti as a 'bull', the same as Rakti raced himself.''
The field heads down the straight the first time in the Victoria Derby. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: News Limited
Polanski showed ability from the moment Laing started testing him on the training track and the trainer revealed he began planning a Derby preparation in December last year.
"I've got a lot of faith in this horse,'' Laing said.
"This is my best win, for sure. I've the Australian Cup, Guineas races, interstate Derbies, Adelaide Cups but this is one of the real big ones,
"I hope he ushers in a new era for. I trained the winners of all the big jumps races over the last 10 years with the exception of the Galleywood, but I am trying to concentrate on having a select band of potential Group horses.
"We might have been optimistic thinking that way with a $4000 yearling to make him into a Group horse but he could go right on and make a good weight-for-age horse
"He'll go to the paddock now and the same with (2012 winner) Fiveandahalfstar we'll go to the Australian Guineas and then to Sydney.
"It will surprise me that if, when he thickens, he doesn't become a real star of the turf."
Snowden said Complacent had anticipated the start, hit the front gate, rebounded and came out near the rear of the field.
"This put him a long way back and he has had to make a long sustained run from the 800m,'' Snowden said.
"It was just too tough for him in the end but he has still run a great race.''
02 Nov, 2013
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Source: http://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/victoria-derby-winner-polanski-direct-descendant-of-legendary-phar-lap/story-fndps3qy-1226752078034?from=public_rss
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