The Victoria Derby marked a significant moment for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young in establishing their Australian presence, but the 2500-metre Group 1 race has been a source of frustration for them since their 2011 triumph with Sangster.
Last year, the Cranbourne-based training partners secured a second-place finish in the Flemington Classic with the outsider Arcora. This followed a third placing by Sunsets the year prior, and another second with Sully in 2017.
A key factor shared by these three horses, which is why Young is as concerned about Wednesday’s barrier draw as the race itself, is their starting positions.
Sully commenced from barrier 14, Arcora from 11, and Sunsets from the widest gate in a 16-horse field. In the same year, Busuttin and Young also had Kosgei, who finished fourth, starting from barrier 12.
“We’ve always had a couple of runners in the Derby, it’s not easy to do with three-year-olds at this time of year, but you just need a bit of luck,” Young stated.
“We’ve run second with horses that have had really wide barrier draws and all those little things come into play when you’re tackling Group Ones.”
Busuttin and Young currently train three of the 24 three-year-olds nominated for the Derby on Monday. These include Gilgeous, who finished fourth in last Saturday’s Moonee Valley Vase, alongside Cignetti and Icy You.
Cignetti and Icy You are both heading into the Derby following third-place finishes in tight finishes. Cignetti, a gelding by Super Seth, placed in the Group 3 Caulfield Classic (2000m), while Icy You, sired by Pinatubo, finished third in the Listed Geelong Classic (2200m).
Young highlighted their different strengths that position them as viable Derby contenders.
“They’ve gone a couple of different paths, but they do actually work together, and I think Cignetti has that little bit better turn of foot, whereas Icy You is more an out-and-out stayer,” Young explained.
“Each race Cignetti just tightens up that little bit. He’s quite a big, gross sort of a horse but looking at him on Saturday morning I was thinking he’s really got nice and fit and he’s going to be spot on for the 2500.
“Icy You had to do a little bit of work on the corner (at Geelong) and I thought he was pretty tough to stick on. He’ll love the trip, he needs 2500, and he’s tightened up nicely too.”
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