Racing: Mark Greatbatch scores big win with Asterix in New Zealand Derby

Jonathan Parkes on Asterix wins the New Zealand Derby. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand cricketing great Mark Greatbatch's day started with the same sad shock as others in the cricketing world, but another shock hours later gave him reason to smile.

Greatbatch was at Ellerslie hours after learning of the sudden death of old adversary and cricketing legend Shane Warne and saw a horse he part-owns, Asterix, win the $1 million New Zealand Derby in one of the biggest upsets in history.

Trained by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott, Asterix came from near last to blaze clear of luckless hot favourite La Crique to win at $45-1 at only his fifth start.

Had he not won his maiden at his previous start, he wouldn't have even been in the Derby but Asterix is bred to stay and he did.

For Greatbatch, who shares in the ownership with long-time Hawke's Bay racing identity Sam Kelt, it capped two days of shocks.

"Obviously it has been a really tough time for a lot of people who play or played the game, or love the game," said Greatbatch.

"First to hear of Rod [Marsh]'s passing and then Warnie, which obviously was a total shock, was very sad. I was just writing an email to Greg Chappell to pass on my sympathies to him and all the guys of that era for the loss of Marshy when I heard about Shane.

"So it has been a really tough time for so many people and you feel for their friends and families. So I was in a bit of shock.

"Then I come here to the races and this happens. It is such a surreal feeling, you never sort of think you will have a horse that wins the New Zealand Derby. So a day with some very mixed emotions and I think all of it will take a while to sink in."

Greatbatch is no big-time racehorse owner, more an enthusiastic small punter who got invited into the ownership of Asterix by Kelt and now could have a potential Melbourne Cup horse.

That may sound a lofty goal, especially considering the internationalisation of the Cup in recent years, but New Zealand Derby form tends to stack up and there are Melbourne Cup bloodlines in Asterix's breeding, so his connections can dream.

For O'Sullivan and Scott, it was back-to-back derbies after favourite Rocket Spade last year, but in vastly different circumstances, as Asterix was largely unknown.

Punters who backed La Crique into near record short odds had a sinking feeling a long way from home as plenty of horses wanted to get forward early, creating pressure, and when rider Vinnie Colgan tactically relented at the 1800m to take the trail, Soldier Boy then rushed forward to find the front and put the glamour filly three back on the inside.

Although she got clear 100m into the straight, the winner had a head of steam up and she had used plenty, and finished second.

Another star, 3-year-old Sword Of State, had no such concerns when he was given a beautiful trip by catch rider Leith Innes before wearing down Babylon Berlin in the King's Plate.