Doomben Cup Tips & Preview 2022
Queensland Derby Tips & Preview 2022
Looking for Queensland Derby (2400m) tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2022 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm.
QUEENSLAND DERBY BETTING SNAPSHOT
The three-year-old stayers line up for Group 1 glory in the Queensland Derby and it is Dark Destroyer that heads the market with bet365 at the $4.50 quote after his win in the Rough Habit Plate (2143m). The runner-up horse out of that is the Chris Waller-trained Paternal, who is at $6.50.
The Kiwi contender, Pinarello, is at $7.50, alongside Caboche, while Ting Tong is $13 and both Southern Stock and Menazzi are $15. Global Ausbred, Sea Treasures and Villaden head the rest of the 18 horse field and three emergencies at the $17 quote.
QUEENSLAND DERBY FORM ANALYSIS
The Rough Habit Plate is the key race to look at and provided the winner in 2021 with Kukeracha going one better after finishing runner-up in that lead up. The Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) used to be a key lead up but that event has been moved to December.
In the Rough Habit Plate this year, Dark Destroyer relished the Heavy 8 conditions, making a mid-race move and clearing out with Paternal, holding on to win narrowly from that galloper, while there was a four-length gap back to Menazzi.
Dark Destroyer was having his third run since coming over from New Zealand and went 5.1 lengths faster than standard benchmark, which are the best last start figures of any runner. Paternal produced the fastest late splits just ahead of Dark Destroyer. Menazai led at a big price before fading, while Southern Stock settled handy but was a bit one paced in 4th position.
A total of nine runners come out of that lead up and hard to make a case for most of the beaten brigade with a Heavy track likely again on Saturday. Tutukaka is another Kiwi and had excuses en route to finishing 7th.
Pinarello comes over from New Zealand and ran on off a slow tempo in the NZ Derby (2400m) for 5th. He won his two races either side of that by a combined margin of seven lengths, with his latest coming at Group 2 level over the 2100m at Pukekohe Park. He cops the visitors draw (barrier 20).
Five runners come up from New South Wales and all of them are up sharply in grade. Ting Tong and Sea Treasures filled the minors behind Aravene at Rosehill last weekend over the 2000m. Ting Tong has the fitness on his side and likes the wet but may need to improve his figures, going 3.2 lengths faster than standard at Rosehill.
Villaden is an interesting runner. He boasts the best benchmark figures that any horse in this race has produced by going 10.6 lengths faster than standard at Caulfield over the 2000m two starts ago when 8th, beaten less than four lengths.
The Amazonian was runner-up in that race and has since come out and won at Group 3 level in Adelaide, while Yaphet was 4th before going on to finish runner-up in he South Australian Derby. Villaden has since come out and run on for 4th at Flemington over the 2000m.
QUEENSLAND DERBY TIPS AND BEST BETS
It will be interesting to see how Pinarello fares but I am going with Rough Habit Plate form. Hard to split the top two out of that but Paternal might just have a bit more upside and did produce the best late splits, while the son of Savabeel just might have a tad more flexibility from barrier 3. Best roughie in the race for mine is Villaden.
