He's still not guaranteed a Derby run, and has yet to race beyond 1600m.
Yet nervous bookies wasted no time in trimming the lightly-raced Gallant from $16 to $10 after his impressive R70 success at Te Rapa at the weekend.
It's called damage control.
Well before the Volksraadgelding first appeared on a racetrack at Tauranga over 1300m on January 2 one confident insider set alarm bells ringing with a cool $500 Derby bet at $100.
The potential $50,000 windfall is the bookies' worst single Derby result so far.
The Stephen McKee-trained one-race winner Foneeleven was the subject of similar speculation but was withdrawn from contention yesterday.
Stablemate Sun Ruler - the $2 million Zabeel son of the McKee-trained champion Sunline - has also been the subject of inspired support in smaller chunks.
But his fans are fast running out of time for a return after he was scratched from his Te Rapa assignment on Saturday because of the wide gate and flint-hard track.
McKee is giving Sun Ruler - and his army of Derby fans - one last-ditch shot at Derby glory in a lowly maiden 2200m event at Avondale on Friday.
"He's got to win on Friday to even stand a chance of getting into the Championship Stakes," said McKee.
"I'm sure he'll run it out pretty well, but we're well behind the eight-ball for the big one."
In a rapidly-changing market over the weekend, $10-shot Shanzero was confirmed a definite non-Derby runner by Pukekohe trainer Richard Collett.
Collett is instead freshening the impressive Wellington Stakes winner for a shot at the group one Waikato Draught Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa next Saturday.
"She has too much acceleration without worrying about her getting the 2400m," said Collett last night.
"We'll keep her to races up to 1600m for now and we can always look for longer races overseas in the autumn.
"If we went for the Derby now she'd be in the paddock by then."
Stylish Waikato Guineas winner Easy Ryder was the other big shortener at the weekend, also tumbling in from $16 to $10.
