South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott says winning Group 1 Queensland Derby with Party Crasher will be career high

Trainer Michael Hickmott will have his first crack at a Group 1 – and he has a leading chance in the Queensland Derby on Saturday.

South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott says it will be the “pinnacle of my career” if his high-flying gelding Party Crasher can salute in Saturday’s Group 1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm.

And the planets are aligning for the gelding to notch his fourth victory in just his sixth race this weekend, with champion jockey Craig Williams riding from barrier one.

Party Crasher is an $8 chance with bookmakers in the 2400m feature, behind South Australian Derby runner-up Statuario ($6) and the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained King Of Thunder ($7).

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“It was fantastic to get Craig booked on the horse. He’d done a fair bit of research and seemed pretty keen to ride the horse,” said Hickmott, the younger brother of two-time Melbourne Cup-winning training Robert.

“I’m very happy with how the horse is. The biggest step is how he travels.

“He’s in good order and he’s very fit. It looks like he’ll run 2400m and if it’s a wet track that’s no disadvantage either.”

Party Crasher travelled from Adelaide to Melbourne by truck and then flew to Brisbane on Tuesday.

Asked what it would mean to collect the $600,000 winner’s cheque in his first crack at a Group 1, Hickmott was unequivocal in his response.

South Australian stayer Party Crasher is among the leading chances in the Group 1 Queensland Derby on Saturday. Picture: Makoto Kaneko

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“It would certainly be the pinnacle of my career. I’ve won a South Australian metropolitan premiership (2020-21) but I haven’t even had a runner in a Group 1,” he said.

“My business model had always revolved around selling horses to Asia if they’ve kind of identified anywhere near that grade.

“It was fantastic for the ownership group to elect to run Party Crasher on and not look at offers coming in for the horse.

“They’re really excited about this weekend. We’ve got mums and dads, corporate businessmen in Melbourne to lawyers in Sydney to an accountant in Alice Springs.

“There’s a broad group of owners from all around the country.”

Hickmott’s nephew Josh, with the help of former Racing.com presenter Jayne Ivil and her partner Brad Taylor, identified Party Crasher as a potential recruit from New Zealand.

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His uncle was suitably impressed when the horse won an 800m trial on a heavy track at Rotorua last September and once he had negotiated a deal, it didn’t take long for the three-year-old to be syndicated.

“He went out to a good group of our current clients and he was syndicated very quickly,” Hickmott said about the son of Ocean Park.

“We’ve got a good record purchasing horses from New Zealand.”

Hickmott said he knew he had a Group 1 contender on his hands when Party Crasher won a Benchmark 66 (2009m) by 1½ lengths on SA Derby Day early this month.

“It’s an extremely strong race,” he said about the Queensland Derby, won last year by Warmonger.

“It’d be a big thrill for the ownership group – win, lose or draw – but I suspect if the horse travels well then he will perform really well.”

Originally published as South Australian trainer Michael Hickmott says winning Group 1 Queensland Derby with Party Crasher will be career high