Racing: Scare can’t stop most Xcellent Derby win

This was one of the great training performances.

You knew that when Mike Moroney let go of racing's best kept secret - Xcellent had been under an injury cloud for three days going into yesterday's Derby.

Xcellent had not had a saddle on him since galloping at Matamata on Thursday.

"He tweaked a muscle, we don't know if it was the gallop or whether he did it in his paddock later," said Moroney after Xcellent dashed away for one of the truly memorable Derby victories.

With only two career races to fall back on, Xcellent was always going to require a superlative training performance.

Thursday's scenario is why horse trainers are prematurely grey.

"We walked and walked and walked him," said co-trainer Andrew Scott.

Xcellent was deliberately sent to Ellerslie on the first horse transporter to leave Matamata, arriving on course three hours before most Derby hopefuls.

"To harden his mind I walked the ears off him," said Scott, "I walked to face the Fashions In The Field.

"In the end he went to sleep - I was afraid I'd walked him for too long."

Scott gave up a big slice of his Christmas Day to walk Xcellent.

Xcellent had only six gallops between yesterday and his November 27 win at Ellerslie.

"And they were not flat out gallops, but a lot of threequarter pace work," said Scott.

"He's delicate and a tough gallop would have seen him fall to bits."

Moroney and Scott made a lot of having to make Xcellent the horse he is.

Xcellent carried the stable's lucky black cap.

The stable's traditional cap is red and when there are two runners, the second carries the black lid.

Brew won the Melbourne Cup in it and Clean Sweep did herself no harm when she won the 2000 Guineas against the males at Christchurch last month.

Xcellent had to be good to win.

He settled back, was one of the widest horses rounding the home turn and produced a remarkable sprint when Michael Coleman asked him for the supreme effort at the 300m.

The winner won too well for excuses, but runner-up Mandela had no luck. He was well placed early and got shuffled back to be in the last bunch at the 800m.

"He had to weave his way through them in the straight rather than have a clear run out wide," said trainer Richard Otto.

Otto said he would have to see how his "delicate" horse comes through the race, but expected to see him run in a Derby somewhere in the remainder of his 3-year-old racing.

King Johny flashed home with a remarkable dash to finish third only half a head behind Mandela.

"Bling Bling cost us a little ground," said rider Thomas Russell.

"Halfway down the home straight I thought he would run fifth or sixth, but he simply flew."

Trainer Raymond Connors said he would give King Johny a spell.

Michael Walker was predicting a top staying future for Cheshire after he finished a close-up fifth in his biggest test to date.