Chris Johnson brings Platinum Invador back to scale after running third in the New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie.
Aussie bookies brace for the Invador - he’s even short on the first Melbourne Cup market!
By Barry Lichter • 11 March 2019
New Zealand Derby placegetter Platinum Invador will be on a plane across the Tasman in two weeks - but, incredibly, he’s already on the radar of Australian bookies.
Eight months out from the Melbourne Cup, Platinum Invador has appeared in Sportsbet’s first odds for the Flemington two-miler.
He is rated 25th equal as a tight $41 chance behind the early favourite, last year’s winner Cross Counter at $17, with 2017 winner Rekindling on $26.
The only other New Zealanders on the list are New Zealand Cup winner Bizzwinkle ($101), yesterday’s Auckland Cup runners Blue Breeze ($301) and Sir Charles Road ($301), Zacada ($301) and Tavlin ($501).
Seeing the horse grouped with some of the world’s best stayers shocked Neville McAlister, who races the horse with Lincoln Farms, considering no real consideration has even been given to the November feature.
A more pertinent quote is the $15 and $6 which TAB bookies have on Platinum Invador for the A$2 million Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick on April 6.
That’s the race that trainer Lisa Latta has targetted for the horse who will fly to Sydney on March 26 and have his lead-up at Rosehill four days later in the Group II A$200,000 Tulloch Stakes (2000m).
McAlister says Platinum Invador has enjoyed a week’s R and R in the paddock since his eye-catching and unlucky late closing third in the derby.
Today he will start a week on the water walker.
“We just want to keep him off his legs as long as we can. Then he’ll have about a week at Lisa’s before flying out.’’
Fellow Kiwis also in the Australian Derby market are Surely Sacred, Vernanme, Arrogant and Cutadeel.
The Melbourne Cup odds which shocked part-owner Neville McAlister
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Lisa’s comments
Friday at Waverley
Race 5: Lincoln Towers
2.58pm
Update: Scratched
“I am really happy with him at the moment, his work has been superb. We ended up injecting his knees and he worked great on the course proper on Tuesday morning. He should be very competitive in a field like this but my biggest concern is how much rain is in the forecast. I would be reluctant to start him if the track got to be really wet as we know he has never gone very well on heavy tracks.”