Melbourne Cup 2010

Scintillo is heading that way as well, so I’m desperately hoping that de Kock sends Frozen Fire to Australia as well. The infamous three from the Ormonde Stakes can meet up again, and the Aussies will die laughing with all their jokes about slow Poms.

Manhattan Rain already has a race named after him!

Bit of a speculative post, but I thought that Kallogg could be this year’s Shocking [edit; erm, I mean Alcopop]. Hasn’t run over further than a mile so far:-

http://horseform.racingandsports.com.au … 93D55E8D22

Wednesday, 24 March 2010
By Robert Windmill

Craig Williams has watched promising galloper Kallogg evolve from stable tyrant to city winner.

Trainers Lee and Shannon Hope have always rated the son of Street Cry as a horse going places but it wasn’t until Wednesday that Williams had his first ride on the him in the Manhattan Rain @ Arrowfield Stud Handicap (1500m) at Sandown.

Omens were everywhere for Williams as he was legged about Kallogg as Lee Hope is his godfather and he rode Manhattan Rain last spring when second in the Cox Plate.

"This is really rewarding for me," Williams said after the gelding scored a dashing three-length win over Currency Cugat and Shaville.

"Lee is my godfather so it is great to get a winner for him and I remember when this horse went around in his maiden (at his race debut) at Geelong and he rang me the day before and said keep on an eye on him."

Kallogg duly won at Geelong but only after a lot of work went into him to get him to calm his temperament.

"Early days he was a devil of a horse and took a while to get to the races," Lee Hope said.

He said the key had been to ride him patiently in longer races with a good gap between each start.

"I think I trained him wrong there for while," Hope said.

"We learned to ride him a bit quiet and space his runs."

Kallogg has won three of his eight starts including a first-up win at Kilmore this campaign but it was the way he finished off on Wednesday that really impressed Hope.

"I think he could be learning," Hope said.

"I thought he looked better today going away from them.

"He looked really nice going to the line and the way he flattened out was very good."

Williams said he was grateful for the opportunity to ride Kallogg after watching him since his debut last September.

"Lee said he wasn’t quite ready for me back then so I am glad I was on him today," he said.

"He got a little bit lost at the top of the straight and I actually came out quite severely to get him focused again.

"I asked him to extend a long way out and asked him to quicken up again and he did. He won very well.

"He is a nice horse and has a big future."

That interview I heard of Freedman talking about Speed Gifted was obviously before the Sydney Cup weights came out . . .

Freedman to unveil more of his large foreign legion
ANDREW GARVEY
March 24, 2010

WHILE most eyes will be turned to Sydney on Saturday for the Rosehill Guineas and the last lead-up races to the Golden Slipper, at Caulfield Lee Freedman will be rolling out a further three imports who will hopefully be part of his assault on the spring carnival.

After running Doctor Fremantle two weeks ago and then Fanjura, who won at his first Australian start last Saturday, Freedman plans to have another batch of his foreign legion make their Australian debuts in Saturday’s Amounis Handicap.

”These horses arrive here late in the year and are ready to race in March, April and May. It really adds a different dimension to the post carnival racing here,” Freedman said.

The Rye-based trainer said Above Average and Ajhar, who were purchased in England late last year along with Fanjura, were likely to have their first local runs along with Savarain, who is owned in the same interests as Speed Gifted.

”It’s instant gratification I call it. Those syndicates are easy to sell if you can have a bit of quick success with them,” Freedman said.

While Speed Gifted was an instant success last year, Savarain has been a long-term project having been diagnosed with a ”dicky tendon” shortly after his arrival.

Freedman is likely to give Savarain and Above Average light autumn campaigns but said Ajhar is more likely to race on in the short term.

”Ajhar is probably more dour than the others and I think he will get up to 2400 metres pretty quickly. We might even look towards the Andrew Ramsden Stakes [3200m on May 5] for him.”

Speed Gifted, who will have his next start in the $2.25 million BMW (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday week, is likely to then go to the paddock rather than continue on to the Sydney Cup according to Freedman.

”I haven’t spoken to his owner yet but I wasn’t too enthused with the 57½ he was given in the Sydney Cup so I think we’ll pull up after the BMW and head to the paddock,” he said.

Yeah, I’m not excited Chiswickian – I just thought I’d find it interesting to follow the progress of a couple of middle-rankers, and see if they make the grade.

Mourilyan will be going for the Ascot Gold Cup.