Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Master trainers Greg and Skye Bond’s innate ability to prepare young pacers to be powerful stayers and have them at their peak for the testing 2536m Sky Racing WA Derby was rewarded when their five youngsters filled five of the top six places in the $200,000 classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Their No. 1 contender Christopher Dance proved far too brilliant for the opposition as he overcame the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and enjoyed an exemplary drive from Deni Roberts.
Roberts thought long and hard before deciding to handle Christopher Dance, despite his bad draw, ahead of the speedy frontrunner Vegas Strip (barrier one), Tualou (four), Thenu Came Along (barrier two on the back line) and Golden Lode (No. 3 on the back line).
“I made the right choice, class always prevails, she said after bringing Christopher Dance, the $2.40 favourite, with a spirited burst from last with 1300m to travel to surge to the front at the 250m mark and win by three and a half lengths from the $10 chance Menemsha, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo.
Then followed, in order, the other four Bond runners Thenu Came Along ($26), Golden Lode ($15), Vegas Strip ($3.50) and Tualou ($15).
Christopher Dance set a race record, with his rate of 1.56 eclipsing the 1.56.1 set by Justin Prentice’s Mighty Ronaldo in 2021.
It was fitting that watching the Derby was New Zealand visitor and champion Hall of Fame trainer-reinsman Colin DeFilippe, who drove the only three-year-old to have won six major Australasian Derbies, the legendary Courage Under Fire, who was successful in the Great Northern and New Zealand Derbies and the Group 1 classics in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Derby in the 1998-99 season.
Also at Gloucester Park on Friday night was New Zealander Chris Webbber, who paid $8000 for Christopher Dance at the New Zealand national weanling sale at Karaka in May 2021.
After the Sweet Lou colt had earned $56,878 from two wins and three placings in New Zealand he somewhat reluctantly sold him to Greg and Skye Bond, while retaining small share.
“I’ve never had a horse like him, and it was a hard decision to sell him,” said Webber. “But he had set me up for life, and I have kept a small share in him. I thought he would have a better future over here. He has a motor, something that not many horses have.”
Greg Bond was delighted with the performances of the stable’s five runners, and he said: “We were behind the eight ball when we got Christopher Dance. He had a couple of little issues, and between Skye and Deni and their hard work we got the result on the track tonight. Now we’re looking forward to the Golden Nugget next year.”
For Greg Bond this was his fifth success in the WA Derby (all with New Zealand-bred pacers), having been successful with Richard Henry (2005), In The Force (2009), and Seel N Print (2011) and then in partnership with Skye with Patronus Star (2020) and Christopher Dance.
As expected, Vegas Strip, driven by Chris Lewis, took up the running from the No. 1 barrier after fending off early challenges from $101 outsider Franco Encore and Tualou, while Roberts restrained Christoher Dance back to last, along with the only filly in the race, the $61 chance and WA Oaks winner Madam Publisher, whose New Zealand breeder and owner Les Whiteside was on course.
Tualou was left in the breeze, and Menemsha was enjoying an ideal passage behind the pacemaking Vegas Strip.
Christopher Dance was last in the field of twelve after a lap before Roberts eased him three wide 1300m from home. This flushed out Alta Tribute ($8), thus giving the favourite an advantageous three-wide trip with cover.
But with 550m to travel Alta Tribute and Menemsha locked sulky stays, causing Alta Tribute to pace very roughly and drop back. It was then that Christopher Dance narrowly avoided getting into trouble.
“I anticipated what was going to happen,” said Roberts. “And I had actually started to hook around it before it happened, which helped me. Aiden was pushing off the fence and jostled with Alta Tribute, with their stays becoming locked. Luckily, I didn’t get interfered with too much.
“Christopher Dance was really impressive. It felt like we were going slow the whole time, but he has a really high cruising speed. He’s exciting and quite scary, and I can’t wait for the future with him.”
For the Bonds this was their 2204TH victory as a training partnership, and their 19TH in a Group 1 feature event. Roberts (29) has now driven 699 winners, with three in Group 1 events, the WA Derby following wins with Vegas Strip in the 2023 Golden Slipper and Belly Up in the Westbred Classic for two-year-old colts and gelding in September this year.
Christopher Dance remains unbeaten at three West Australian starts, and his career record stands at ten starts for five wins, three placings and $205,582 in prizemoney.
Madam Publisher, who began out wide at barrier eight, met with interference in the back straight in the final lap and finished in eleventh place.