Future bright for Mongolian Khan

NZ Derby winner is ready to take on Australia’s best, Wally O’Hearn reports.

Murray Baker stood looking over the rail as his latest Derby winner raced around his paddock in Cambridge yesterday, knowing he had found his next star to take on the best Australia could offer.

Mongolian Khan had just achieved what no other three-year-old had been able to do for Baker. He had provided the astute horseman with his first win in the Gr I $750,000 TV3 NZ Derby at Ellerslie a day earlier and he had done it in the style of a stayer headed for more Group One glory.

It takes a special horse to compete at the top level in Sydney at carnival time and Baker knows first-hand what is required, having regularly competed against the Aussies and seldom come home empty handed.

He took Nom du Jeu over to win the 2008 Gr I AJC Australian Derby, two starts after he had finished fourth to C’est La Guerre in the Mercedes (NZ) Derby, and two years ago he guided Dundeel through a winning streak which culminated in one of most impressive Australian Derby wins seen for many, many years.

Baker has also won the Victoria Derby with Lion Tamer and even before the Group One triumph last Saturday he had rated Mongolian Khan in the same league as Nom du Jeu and Lion Tamer. And now he is confident he and training partner Andrew Forsman have a horse who could be the next Australian Derby winner.

‘‘He’s a good horse,’’ Baker told the Waikato Times as he watched Mongolian Khan enjoy his freedom in his paddock. ‘‘He’ll go well over to Sydney. It’s got the pressure racing that will suit him. He’s so tough. He won’t lay down.’’

Baker did mention after Mongolian Khan’s length defeat of the favourite Volkstok’n’barrell in last Saturday’s TV3 NZ Derby the son of Holy Roman Emperor can be a bit volatile, but certainly relaxes in his races.

‘‘He can be a bit hypo at times and he’s been worked every day with another horse,’’ Baker said. ‘‘He never works on his own. Sometimes he works with two others and he’s always in the middle. It’s made him.’’

Mongolian Khan was therefore ready for the battle when Volkstok’n’barrell ranged up and quickly headed him early in the home straight last Saturday. Matt

Mongolian Khan is ridden to victory in the New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie by Opie Bosson. Photo: Trish Dunell Cameron had settled Volkstok’n’barrell three-back on the outer, tracking Mongolian Khan, who was directly ahead in fourth spot most of the way.

Mongolian Khan and Volkstok’n’barrell swept up to challenge the pacemaking Vavasour rounding the home turn and Cameron planted the accelerated first after swamping the leader. But Opie Bosson, who was chasing his first NZ Derby win, wasn’t perturbed.

‘‘Matt put a bit on me and to my horse’s credit he’s an out-and-out stayer and he pinned his ears back and fought right to the line,’’ said Bosson, who punched the air in delight after passing the winning post. ‘‘He’ll go all day. He doesn’t know when to lay down.’’

The NZ Derby had been billed as a two-horse war between Mongolian Khan and Volkstok’n’barrell with the latter coming in for more support to be the hot favourite. And so it unfolded but with the second-favourite Mongolian Khan proving the dominant one.

‘‘I’ve got to give credit to the second horse,’’ Baker said. ‘‘He fought back very well. They’re two very good horses and it was a great finish, a great race.’’

Sound Proposition pleased rider Danielle Johnson and his trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott with his strong late run for third, albeit 5½ lengths behind Volkstok’n’barrell, while the Kevin Myers-trained stablemates Dee I Cee (41/1) and Sealed By A Dance (126/1) did well to finish fourth and sixth respectively after having interrupted runs. Sealed By A Dance was checked badly in the early stages resulting in a suspension to offending rider Derek Nolan (Nymph Monte) and Dee I Cee had to change ground over the final stages.

Splitting the Myers’ runners was Midnitemagicman, who was crowed in the early stages and put off balance in the run home when checked by outsider J’Walke, whose rider, Dylan Turner, has been charged and is awaiting his penalty.

Despite some inconvenience to beaten runners, a true pace was set by Vavasour and the two best horses fought out the finish with the staying star proving dominant.

Mongolian Khan is raced by Lang Lin’s Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry NZ Ltd and there was a large contingent of Chinese nationals to greet him when he returned to the birdcage.

Lin’s company has exported more than 600 horses from New Zealand to China over the past two and a half years and Mongolian Khan has obviously boosted his interest in New Zealand racing. And now Lin is eagerly awaiting a crack at the Sydney scene with the handsome colt.

‘‘He’ll have five or six days off then we’ll get him ready for Sydney,’’ Baker said.

‘‘He might run in the Rosehill Guineas before the Derby, but we’ll just see how he is. It was seven weeks between races when he won the Waikato Guineas so he doesn’t need racing.’’

Mongolian Khan took his record to six wins from seven starts and made it five wins in succession when landing the TV3 NZ Derby. He is unbeaten at Ellerslie and also unbeaten over ground and his winning streak includes both the Gr II Darci Brahma Waikato Guineas and Gr II Essilor NZ Avondale Guineas.

He became the second Group One winner this season for premiershipleaders Baker and Forsman, following on from Turn Me Loose’s Sothys NZ 2000 Guineas victory, and the stable will chase a further Group One at Ellerslie on Wednesday with Show The World, the mount of Bosson in the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup.