Tarquin And Etymology Face G1 Derby Test

A pair of three-year-olds in the right form and in the right race stake their claim for Godolphin's fourth G1 win of the Australian season in the South Australian Derby at Morphetville on Saturday, May 14.

Tarquin (John O'Shea/Craig Williams) and Etymology (John O'Shea/Ben Melham) have both produced sparkling lead up runs in similar class in Melbourne and have maintained their form since.

"I thought Tarquin was very good last start, he was right up on the speed doing plenty of work and still had enough to finish off and win quite impressively against older horses," said trainer John O'Shea.

"His two runs before that were also very good, he's trained on nicely and he gets out from 2,000m to 2,500m in the Derby which shouldn't be a problem for him."

Tarquin, a gelded son of Hard Spun, again has the services of Craig Williams who was in the saddle when the gelding was successful over 2,000m at Caulfield on April 30.

Two starts earlier he showed his adaptability by scoring at the tricky Mornington circuit in Victoria giving O'Shea added confidence in his Derby prospects.

"He seems to have really enjoyed going left handed, so it was a good option to have this race available to him. He's up against some handy horses, but he definitely looks up to this class."

The South Australian classic will be Etymology's third Derby and if he can repeat his previous two performances he has an undeniable chance of capturing victory.

Last October the son of New Approach finished second in the G1 VRC Derby behind Tarzino and last month was fifth to Tavago in the G1 Australian Derby at Randwick.

At his most recent appearance he was second in the Listed VRC St Leger at Flemington, a performance O'Shea regards as one of his best.

"They went along at a good clip in that race and he was up there on the speed all the way and still looked the winner at the 300m," he said.

"That was at 2,800m, so there's no concerns about him getting the trip. With the right sort of run he has the class and the ability to be very competitive."

Among the opposition to the Godolphin pair is the St Leger winner Cool Chap and Howard Be Thy Name who has won his past three starts but will be in unknown territory at the Derby distance.