Flemington trainer Danny O'Brien's love affair with the stallion Lion Hunter may have inadvertently led him to his first AAMI Victoria Derby winner.

Lion Hunter's progeny are characterised by their great speed, as shown by the best of his progeny, Gold Edition.

O'Brien has built up a great affinity with the breed having trained the likes of stakes winner's Ferocity and Leone Chiara as well as several other good city-class performers.

It was his love of Lion Hunters that saw him a purchase a yearling by the stallion for $80,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sales in 2006.

Unlike the other dozen Lion Hunter horses O‘Brien has trained since Leone Chiara entered his stables five years ago, this yearling struck him as different to the rest as he looked like he was a stayer from the outset.

Last Friday night at Moonee Valley, that three-year-old grey gelding called Barbaricus, showed O'Brien's theory could be correct with a tough win in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m).

In a month's time O'Brien is hoping the same horse can deliver him his first AAMI Victoria Derby and give his ill-fated sire - Lion Hunter was put down in 2004 as a 12-year-old - his first staying success.

O'Brien was buoyed by Barbaricus' performance. He described it as a tough staying effort which gave credence to his belief he will go over a distance.

"That win has made me even more confident he will run out the trip of the AAMI Victoria Derby," O'Brien said.

"I thought it was a strong Group 2 mile race that was run at a hectic pace and he put in a real staying effort. He had to show a lot of stamina to win that race as it was run at such a fast pace."

With this in mind, O'Brien began this campaign with the aim of running Barbaricus in the AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 3.

"Ever since he was a young horse I could tell in his action he was going to run a trip. He just keeps going all day in his work and I've trained him in that manner, accordingly," O'Brien said.

It has not surprised O'Brien that Barbaricus looks as if he is a potential stayer as he said there was a lot of stoutness in the dam's pedigree.

"There are a lot of Group staying winners on the dam's side which gives me a lot of confidence he will run out 2500m.," he said. "Also Lion Hunter is a son of Danehill and he has had good Derby success."

O'Brien also has two other recent three-year-old winners in his stable - the Caulfield Guineas Prelude winner Purrealist and also Flemington winner Pins On Parade.

Whereas O'Brien rates Barbaricus his third stringer for the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 13, he believes he is his number one AAMI Victoria Derby candidate.

Barbaricus has had only five starts for three wins and O'Brien believes he will only get better with racing.

O'Brien, 36, has built an enormous reputation in a decade of training and has only had the one AAMI Victoria Derby runner. That was Sir Lago, who finished eighth last year.

This is the strongest stable O'Brien has boasted and it looks sure to help him quickly build on his current haul of five Group One wins.

O'Brien is set to expand his operations, as he will soon open up a training establishment at Barwon Heads, near the Thirteenth Beach Golf Course, which will be run in conjunction with his Flemington stables.

Barbaricus is raced by a group of younger owners who have been with O'Brien from the outset.

"It's a great group of owners around my age and they've had great success already racing the likes of Demerger and Ferocity. It's been great fun," O'Brien said.

O'Brien said Barbaricus would run in the AAMI Vase (2040m.) at Moonee Valley (October 27) after the Caulfield Guineas and then into the Victoria Derby.

"I was buoyed by the fact Steven (Arnold, jockey) told me he thought Barbaricus' win the other night was that of a horse on target for the Derby," O'Brien said.

Barbaricus' Stutt Stakes win means O'Brien now trains the two favourites in TAB Sportsbet's fixed odds market for the AAMI Victoria Derby. Purrealist heads the betting at $8 from Barbaricus on $9.

PICS - Quentin Lang.

AAMI Victoria Derby Media Release Published 02/10/07