APOSTLE heads a field of 17 horses entered for the United Insurance Barbados Derby to be run off at the Garrison on Saturday, United Insurance race day.

The Elias Haloute/Sir Charles Williams-owned, Andrew Nunes-trained gelding is the pre-race favourite for the 2 000 metres classic, the final leg of the country's prestigious Triple Crown.

The first leg of the Triple Crown was won by Apostle back in March when he ran away with the Banks Barbados Guineas. The second leg, the Pinnacle Feeds Midsummer Creole Classic, went to the Victor Cheeseman-trained Hawayan Tropic last month after a late withdrawal of pre-race favourite Apostle.

As a result of having two separate winners in the first two Triple Crown races, Saturday's Derby will not carry the same excitement and anticipation as last year's because Zouk went into last year's Derby looking to complete the much vaunted Triple Crown having already won the first two jewels in the crown.

Zouk won the 2006 Derby and became the first horse to win the $100 000 bonus which was at stake for winning the Triple Crown.

Although Saturday's Derby will no longer have the $100 000 bonus, the race still looks a very competitive affair since race fans are anxious to see how Apostle would perform over 2 000 metres for the first time.

It is believed in some racing circles that this Bandsman-Peace Token gelding will not stay the distance on the basis of his relentless front-running style, but this will only be known come Saturday.

Apostle's biggest opposition should come from the highly consistent Hawayan Tropic and Kate O'Connor. Hawayan Tropic won the 1 800 metres Pinnacle Feeds Midsummer Classic a shade cleverly on September 29, but she had to pull out all the stops to haul in the front running Walk On By.

That performance by Walk On By has also brought her into Derby reckoning, along with Cheeseman's La Princessa, and the William Clarke-trained quartet of Arm Candy, Charlie Blue, Enchanted and Harvey Hunter. (TE)