He toyed with his rivals last weekend.
Prominent owner John O’Neill has declared Observer in the Victoria Derby this coming weekend.
The Godolphin colt, fresh off a dominant and arrogant victory in the Group 2 Vase (2040m) at The Valley on Saturday, will back up in the Derby over 2500m at Flemington his Saturday.
The Ciaron Maher-trained Observer may already be a $1.95 favourite with Sportsbet, but that has not deterred O’Neill from stating the three-year-old as a Derby moral.
“It’s a sit and steer, stand and cheer in the Derby,” O’Neill said on SENTrack & RSN’s Giddy Up.
“He is a freak, a very nice horse.
“We all saw he had absolutely no luck in the (Caulfield) Guineas and just won (at The Valley) with authority.
“The form out of this race leading into the Derby is always incredible.
“Sure he’s going to be short but don’t be trying to dance around because he’ll just be winning. (Mark) Zahra will be riding and he’s dangerous this time of year.”
One of the main dangers to Observer is fellow Godolphin colt Options who is trained by Calvin and Tony McEvoy.
He ran fifth behind Observer in the Vase and while Cal McEvoy concedes the favourite is a star, he can make a case for his runner.
“Options is a good place bet in the Derby," McEvoy said.
“The favourite is a very good horse, I respect him a lot.
“He’s got to relax to run out a strong 2500, that’ll be the slight concern for him. Whereas our horse will relax and I’m sure he’ll be conserving his energy.”
Options is currently rated a $9 chance and $2.70 the place with Sportsbet.
The Vase | Observer
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 25, 2025
Observer, he's relentless 😤 Mark Zahra eases him up with 50 metres to go for an arrogant victory.
📺 Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/cYp3z0VlDz
Trainer Wayne Hawkes concurs with O’Neill in regards to Observer.
However, he says he’d wait until after the barrier draw to be more certain of Observer’s Derby chances.
“I agree with you but I wouldn’t be backing him just yet,” Hawkes said.
“I’d wait until the barriers come out because if he draws barrier 27 (very, very wide) - I’m saying you might as well just wait until Wednesday morning at 10:30.
“I’d rather take $1.80 from barrier 5 than $2 right now not knowing.
“But he certainly looks the one, there’s no doubt about that.”
The barrier draw for the Derby takes place on Wednesday morning.
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