A long term plan looks set to come to fruition on Saturday with the Adam Durrant trained Kia Ora Koutou ready to peak in the Group 2 W.A.T.C. Derby.
Set out as his main target for the preparation it's hard not to like the way Kia Ora Koutou has come to hand.
Unsuited by the sluggish tempo in the Melvista Stakes [2200m] he again was a sectional star when closing off well to finish second behind Who Dat Singa.
Visually the latter was quite impressive taking out the feature event however sectional times tell a completely different story.When assessing sectional mark ups, Kia Ora Koutou was entitled to win the event and do expect him to settle closer from the favourable draw on Saturday.
Already a Group 1 placegetter (VRC Derby) the son of Blackfriars appears very well placed on best form and looks to set a decent standard for his rivals.His current quote of $2.25 isn't really giving anything away however there is still a bit of juice if priced aggressively.
Adam Durrant is a master of training stayers and given Kia Ora Koutou has been set for this since day one we expect him to come out on top.A simply dominant performance, we see no reason to jump off on Saturday.
While on the surface Whispering Brook looked to get all the favours in front, in truth the race was run at a negative split and she was there to be beaten.She travelled at a good clip early and was entitled to be vulnerable late, but was simply too strong to the line.
The step up in trip shouldn't pose any concerns and she looks to receive all the favours from the gun draw.At her current quote of 6-4 we are more than happy to line up and take the price as we have her marked closer to a $1.80 chance.
As a side note, TopBetta will offer a minimum of $25K for All Aged Stakes Day and while Ascot won't play a part it is definitely worth checking out - Click Here .BET OF THE DAY (1): Race 7 #1 Kia Ora Koutou @ $2.25
BET OF THE DAY (2): Race 6 #8 Whispering Brook @ $2.50
