Plans to aim Hurstville Zagreb at the ATC Australian Derby were derailed due to an ill-timed injury, but the talented three-year-old may still get his shot at classic glory this season.
The gelding, unbeaten in his two career starts, was poised to start favourite in a 1900m Rosehill race on March 15. That event was seen as a stepping stone to the Tulloch Stakes (2000m) and potentially a tilt at the Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick.
However, an incident in the tie-up stalls saw him kick out and injure his foot, forcing his late scratching. The race was later won by his stablemate King Of Thunder, who has since become one of the early favourites for the Queensland Derby.
With the injury ending his autumn campaign, co-trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton have shifted their focus to getting Hurstville Zagreb back on track for a possible Queensland mission.
He is scheduled to have a 1050m barrier trial at Randwick on Thursday, with eyes on a potential campaign that could culminate in the Queensland Derby alongside King Of Thunder.
“We will get through the trial and then there are a couple of nice races in Sydney for him,” O’Shea said.
“We will see how he performs there and be guided by his performances in terms of what we do with him going forward.
“But we are open to everything, as always.”
If he comes through Thursday’s trial without issue, the plan is to resume in a 1600m benchmark race at Gosford two weeks from Saturday. A 2000m event at Randwick is on the calendar two weeks after that, followed by the Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31.
Meanwhile, Maximum Dividend, another promising stable runner, is also set to trial on Thursday. The import impressed last spring with a win at Wyong and a runner-up finish behind Tajanis over 1900m at Canterbury. Tajanis has since gone on to win at Listed level and placed second in the Group 2 Auckland Cup.
O’Shea says Maximum Dividend has returned in good order and while no firm goals have been set, he’s hopeful the horse can work his way through the ranks.
“He has come back really well and we’re really pleased with him. He is right on track,” he said.