Warrior To Win Derby

Mark Kavanagh couldn't win last year's Victoria Derby with hot favourite and runner-up Whobegotyou but could make amends this year after he unveiled another classic contender in Shamoline Warrior at Flemington.

Rockmount pretrainer Shamoline Warrior showed he will be a genuine Derby contender when he outstayed Saint Encosta by a long neck with $3.40 favourite Tribunal another Rockmount pretrainer a half length away third in the listed UCI Stakes (1800m).

Kavanagh added blinkers yesterday and jockey Damien Oliver said the gear change made the difference, as he had to force a narrow opening on the rails to win.

"He hit the line full of running," Oliver said. "The blinkers made a big difference to him, I worked him in them on Tuesday and he was a different horse." Kavanagh said Shamoline Warrior would have two runs before the Derby and would strongly consider the Geelong Classic as one of the options. There is a $100,000 bonus for the Classic-Derby winner.

Shamoline Warrior is by four-time Group 1 winner Shamardal, who is fast making a name for himself as a sire and is a half brother to 2008 Derby winner Rebel Raider.

Jockey Danny Nikolic said Tribunal raced below his best.

"He had every hope. I had the winner pocketed, I thought he's just got to go through his gears but he didn't and he wanted to lay in," Nikolic said.

"He's better than what he showed me, I've got no doubt of that."