<h1>Michael Hickmott Plans Queensland Derby With Party Crasher</h1> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>"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.</p> <p>"I'm very happy with how the horse is. The biggest step is how he travels.</p> <p>"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."</p> <p>Party Crasher travelled from Adelaide to Melbourne by truck and then flew to Brisbane on Tuesday.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>"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.</p> <p>"My business model had always revolved around selling horses to Asia if they've kind of identified anywhere near that grade.</p> <p>"It was fantastic for the ownership group to elect to run Party Crasher on and not look at offers coming in for the horse.</p> <p>"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.</p> <p>"There's a broad group of owners from all around the country."</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>"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.</p> <p>"We've got a good record purchasing horses from New Zealand."</p> <p>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.</p> <p>"It's an extremely strong race," he said about the Queensland Derby, won last year by Warmonger.</p> <p>"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."</p>