Triple Crown’s talented three-year-old gelding Firm Agreement is set to contest this Saturday’s prestigious $2 million Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Royal Randwick, with connections confident after his eye-catching performance just a few days ago.
The Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald-trained galloper will again be partnered by jockey Tyler Schiller, who was aboard for the gelding’s unlucky nose second in last Tuesday’s Group 2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill.
In what proved to be an impressive Derby trial, Firm Agreement recorded the fastest closing sectionals of the race, clocking 35.72 seconds for his final 600m — a full length quicker than third-placed King Of Thunder (35.89).
Most remarkably, Firm Agreement produced identical 200m splits of 11.97 seconds for both the 400m-200m and final 200m sections, demonstrating his sustained finishing power. While King Of Thunder recorded the fastest 400m-200m sectional (11.91), he couldn’t maintain that pace, running 0.07 seconds slower than Firm Agreement in the crucial final 200m.
“He’s come through his last run in impeccable order,” reports trainer Annabel Neasham, who is confident the Triple crown runner is perfectly positioned for Saturday’s classic over the testing 2400m journey.
With his strong finishing ability and proven stamina, Firm Agreement looms as a serious contender as he steps up to Group 1 level for the second time in his career. His previous tilt at Group 1 glory, resulted in an impressive 3rd in the Spring Champion Stakes over 2000m.