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Truth Or Dare’s performance in the Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at Flemington on Saturday is set to give Te Akau Racing an indication of whether they have a Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) contender on their hands.
The Vanbrugh gelding was a $120,000 purchase by David Ellis from the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale. His only two-year-old start produced a fourth placing in a 1200m race at Otaki in April, and he kicked off his three-year-old season with an eye-catching third behind Suit Yourself over 1200m at Te Rapa in August.
The Te Akau team saw enough in those performances to send Truth Or Dare across the Tasman to their Cranbourne stable, and that Australian mission got off to a perfect start when the chestnut won impressively over 1600m on September 19.
"There really was a lot of merit in that performance at Cranbourne," trainer Mark Walker said. "He'd travelled across to Australia and was jumping straight from 1200 to the mile, but he handled everything we threw at him and won very well.
"With the big stride that he's got, he gives us the impression that he'll cope with a bit more distance as well. Hopefully he can prove that with another strong performance this weekend.
"He worked very well on Tuesday. Michael Dee rode him, and he doesn't normally say a lot, so you take notice when he comments that a horse is going particularly well.
"Our plan is to work towards a race like the Derby, and this race on Saturday should give us an idea whether we should continue along that path."
Truth Or Dare is currently rated a $13 chance in the TAB's fixed-odds market for the Victoria Derby, which will be run at Flemington on November 2.
Truth Or Dare will be the only runner at Flemington on Saturday for Walker, with stablemate Quintessa having been scratched from the Gr.2 Rose Of Kingston Stakes (1400m).
"She just had a bit of a sore foot, it's nothing major," Walker said. "We'll regroup and look to run her in the Tristarc Stakes (Gr.2, 1400m) at Caulfield on the 19th."
Back home, Walker and his New Zealand training partner Sam Bergerson will be represented by three runners at Tauranga on Saturday.
Two-year-old Dare To Proisir gets the afternoon underway with his raceday debut in the BOP Equine Vets Maiden 2YO (950m). He will be followed later in the card by promising four-year-old mare Mazzucato in the Epic Journeys USA & Canada Racing Extravaganza (1300m), plus last-start placegetter Charmrose in the Gartshore Construction Maiden (1400m).
"Dare To Proisir is quite an unassuming horse, but he did a good job in his trial," Walker said. "Even though he's from a staying family, he appears to have a bit of speed. We're expecting him to run well.
"Mazzucato won very nicely first-up. She seems to have come up really well this time in. We'll look to work her through the grades this season and potentially aim for some black type in the autumn.
"Charmrose is very highly strung and we had a few problems with her earlier on. She's getting a bit more mature now and is improving all the time."