2008 Dermody Stakes – 26 July 2008

The listed $60,000 Dermody Stakes over 1000 metres at Cheltenham is the final Black Type race on the Australian racing calendar for the 2007-08 racing season and is restricted to two and three-year-olds at set weights.

It has attracted a field of 12 – 8 fillies, 3 geldings and a colt, but there is not a single two-year-old. Prior to the 1998 running the Dermody had been a weight-for-age event, conditions which favoured juvenile runners (two-year-old fillies 48kg and males 49kg).

In race records going back to 1970 there has always been a two-year-old runner; ironically in the 1975 and 1976 races there was just one three-year-old in each.

Thoroughbred Racing SA’s chief handicapper Craig Kutcher was surprised at the lack of two-year-olds, and it has been suggested EI is still having an impact on two-year-old numbers.

David Hayes won the sprint last year with Lisson Grove and has 2 starters this year – the early favourite Distinctive Lass and Shrewd Rhythm. Distinctive Lass will be having her fist start in Adelaide since her debut in November 2006 when she ran third at Morphettville. She has since raced in Victoria, NSW and Queensland and has completed three successive wins in Victoria.

Damien Oliver will ride Nuclear Force, who is on the third line of betting. Trainer Robbie Griffiths has targeted her for this race in an attempt to get some black type into her pedigree. Victory Chant will be ridden by Clare Lindop and is a strong hope as he is a real speedster.

Symphony Miss is also very talented although she has had two luckless runs back from a spell and was narrowly beaten by Ma Shang at Flemington last start after jumping awkwardly

by Jo Jackson

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