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Changes to Melbourne Cup qualifying clauses
Brad Waters
Wednesday, 7 April 2010The Victorian Racing Club has announced modifications to the qualifying conditions for the Emirates Melbourne Cup in time for the 150th running of the great race.
The VRC has altered the wording of its discretionary balloting clauses to only exempt horses from the Melbourne Cup ballot who have won a “ballot exempt” race in 2010 or the winner of this year’s Australian Stayers’ Challenge.
The club has moved to end the annual furore over the VRC board’s powers to elevate a horse into the field at the expense of runners not deemed worthy of a Melbourne Cup start despite being in the top 24 qualifiers for the event.
New wording has been included into the rules stating if a horse in the top 24 of the Melbourne Cup order of entry is eliminated at the discretion of directors then the balloting of surplus horses will continue in ballot order.
The ruling “formalises” the VRC board’s approach, meaning horses will not be selected or promoted into the Melbourne Cup field out of the normal ballot order.
Should a horse be eliminated by the VRC board, the horse at number 25 in the order of entry will be come the new number 24 horse but will be subjected to the same scrutiny as the horses above it and so forth.
In a new balloting initiative, the winner of the Group I Turnbull Stakes will automatically pass the first clause of balloting with the VRC board aligning the performance to a second or third placing in the Mackinnon Stakes which has also offered the same balloting clause.
The VRC has also deleted three races from the list of events providing “ballot exempt” status to the winners; the races in question are the San Juan Capistrano (USA), Arlington Million (USA) and the Doncaster Cup (UK).
“The VRC acknowledges the need to continue to innovate when setting the conditions for the Emirates Melbourne Cup each year,” Mr Monteith said.
“If changes are needed to ensure that this great race offers the maximum level of fairness to all entrants, while delivering the best available field to the event, then the VRC board will act accordingly, and it has done just this in respect of the 2010 Emirates Melbourne Cup.
“The Club has consulted closely with RVL management and it’s Chief Handicapper, Greg Carpenter, in this regard.”
I’m disappointed they’ve removed the San Juan Capistrano as a lead up race, they’ve only had it for the past two runnings and just because those two winners didn’t take up the offer to come over, what if this year’s winner decided to? It is going to be run in two weeks, the short priced favourite is going to be a horse called Bourbon Bay who I believe could have come over here and ran a big race in the Cup.
Wouldn’t the winner of the Capistrano almost certainly make the field of the Melbourne Cup anyway?
I believe that part of the reason Cima De Triomphe went for the Arlington Million last year was to get ballot exemption for winning, so this means Cumani can’t try to go for this loophole again.
To be honest, I’m fairly shocked that the Stewards can chuck one of the top 24 out, after it has met the qualifying conditions. They’ve now streamlined the horses coming in, so they will be considered in the order 25, 26, 27 etc, but on what grounds would they chuck a horse out in the first place? There would be loads of hollering from connections. I can understand why the Stewards haven’t used this power for several years.
edit: the thing is, the horses in the top 24 have doubly-qualified – by placing in a Group race etc, and by the handicapper not being prepared to give them a lower handicapping rating when he issued the weights.
I heard the trainer of
Metal Bender
last night. Would be happy to beat two home today, and will be kept going during the Winter, to get him used to racing again. How unfit is this horse?
Shoot Out
(by High Chaparral) won the AJC Derby, but I believe winners of that race don’t have a great record in the Melbourne Cup.
More interested in
Jessicabeel
, who won the Sydney Cup prep/trial race, the Chairman’s Cup, at her first attempt at a trip since the AJC Oaks a year ago.
- Total Posts 17716
Gerald the problem with AJC Derby winners is they’re invariably handicapped out of Cups contention. Also a number of non stayers or WFA horses have won the AJC Derby.
Yes, I had worked that out Chiswickian, about being weighted out of it. Extra Zero still might be a possibility . . . but I’ve probably fallen for the hype, and the horse was never as good as the trainer thought/said. . .
Anyway, some of the background info about Shoot Out:-
Shout Out’s AJC Australian Derby glory tops a real bush saga for trainer John Wallace, jockey Stathis Katsidis
* Bart Sinclair
* From: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
* April 11, 2010 12:00AMA JOURNEY John Wallace began in outback Queensland as a teenager ended yesterday on the winner’s dais after the AJC Australian Derby.
After the Wallace-trained Shoot Out won the Derby at Randwick on Saturday, he was joined on the dais by jockey Stathi Katsidis, whose career has taken him from drug use to being regarded as one of Australia’s leading riders.
Both are remarkable stories, and they may yet follow Shoot Out to the Melbourne Cup carnival next spring.
Wallace’s skills and persistence deserve the Derby success with Shoot Out, who landed some nice bets as he firmed from $6 to $4.80 before winning convincingly.
As an 18-year-old, Wallace put up his age by three years to take out a trainer’s licence in St George in western Queensland, and has never forgotten his grounding.
"My first winner was Kitty Marie in a race at St George. It’s nice to be a Queenslander but I don’t mind Randwick either," he joked.
There was plenty of pressure on Wallace in the lead-up, with many doubting Shoot Out could cope with the 2400m.
"Stathi has been pushing me to take all the gear off this horse but I was a bit stubborn until he convinced me this time," Wallace said.
Courageous Katsidis deserved a victory which he described as a bigger thrill than the Magic Millions success on Military Rose at the Gold Coast in January.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained Descarado ($7.50) had a wide run most of the way and did well to finish second while third-placed Monaco Consul also performed bravely.
Passing the winning post the first time, Katsidis was in a precarious position. Shoot Out had settled worse than mid-field one off the fence and had precious little room in front or to either side.
The gelding was racing fiercely and the easiest, and perhaps most sensible, decision for Katsidis would have been to remove himself from what was a dangerous position.
"He was right up on the heels of the horse in front, but I thought if I persisted, I could get him to relax," Katsidis said.
"Unfortunately he continued to fight me until about the 1000m. It was a pretty tough ride. Then I knew I had to ride for luck to get through them."
Katsidis backed himself, and he delivered.
Shoot Out went from obscurity behind runners at the 350m to suddenly emerge in the centre of the ruck and from there his fighting qualities and class saw him sprint home.
The High Chaparral gelding has more than done his job this season. He was set to peak at the Magic Millions in early January and then again on to Sydney for the five starts in the autumn, producing three wins at Randwick, where he remains unbeaten.
Shoot Out will have a break and prepare for the spring with a dream target of the Melbourne Cup. He would need to settle better in running to see out 3200m, but with experience may learn to switch off.
For owners Graham and Linda Huddy, it was also a fairytale trip from Mount Isa to the Derby winner’s stall.
The couple were the backbone of the Mount Isa Jockey Club for a decade, though they now spend more time in semi-retirement at their Peachester property on the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
The Huddys paid just $15,000 for Shoot Out as a yearling at the Magic Millions.
Since selling their transport business two years ago, they have invested heavily in racing. Last weekend the Huddys owned all the winners of the card of five races at Boulia, near Mount Isa.
Shoot Out wins AJC Australian Derby
AAP – April 10, 2010, 7:04 pmJockey Stathi Katsidis labelled Shoot Out a potential champion after he claimed his second Group One victory in the AJC Australian Derby at Randwick.
His win was also a triumph for trainer John Wallace who elected to push on to the Derby (2400m) and not bring Shoot Out back in distance to the Doncaster Mile (1600m) despite his shock defeat as favourite in the Rosehill Guineas (2000m) last start.
The Queensland-based Katsidis came to Sydney primarily to partner Military Rose and was a dejected figure just seven days ago when she was unplaced as favourite in the Golden Slipper.
Katsidis, who has had a turbulent career, readily admitted Shoot Out was his second-string carnival ride but the three-year-old turned out to be his meal ticket, winning the Group One Randwick Guineas and Saturday’s Derby.
"He could be a champion," Katsidis said.
"I know it’s a word that’s thrown around a bit but he’s got the breeding, he’s won over 2400 metres now and he could even run two miles (3200m) down the track.
"(Military Rose) was a bit of a let-down, she just raced like a tired horse.
"I always thought this horse was the back-up but it turns out he is the main one."
An emotional Wallace trained his first winner 46 years ago and before this season his last Group One victory was with Mother Of Pearl in the 1982 Queensland Oaks.
He rated Shoot Out’s Classic win as the highlight of his career and hoped the three-year-old could develop into a Cups horse next spring.
"Maybe the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, who knows?" Wallace said.
"It’s a big thrill, some great champions have won this race and some good trainers. I feel pretty humbled.
"Stathi kept telling me to take the pacifiers off him and I was bit stubborn but I finally listened."
Katsidis allowed Shoot Out ($4.80) to find his feet early but said "he pulled too hard to be confident" in the run.
However, the $15,000 yearling purchase conserved enough energy to run down the Gai Waterhouse-trained Descarado ($7.50) and score by 1-1/4 lengths with Victoria Derby winner Monaco Consul ($12) showing a return to form for third another neck away.
"We are as delighted as if we had won it, it’s just as good," Waterhouse said.
"We bought him as a Melbourne Cup horse and that’s what he’s being set for."
Monaco Consul’s trainer Mike Moroney said he would be set for the Queensland Derby.
"He wanted to lay out coming down the straight but he’s a lot better back in Australia than he was in New Zealand," Moroney said.
"The Queensland Derby is the aim. He’s only had four runs and we’ve been purposefully spacing them out."
Shoot Out’s win was also a boon for Coolmore Stud which recently secured his sire High Chaparral to stand at its NSW Hunter Valley base from next spring.
They have yet to set a service fee for the shuttle stallion who had served two seasons in New Zealand.
High Chaparral captured the Derby trifecta, also being the sire of Descarado and Monaco Consul.
Jessicabeel wins Chairman’s Handicap
* AAP
* From:
* Saturday, 10 April 2010Trainer John O’Shea gained some consolation for Zabrasive’s Derby defeat when Jessicabeel claimed victory in the Chairman’s Handicap.
Trainer John O’Shea gained some consolation for Zabrasive’s Derby defeat when Jessicabeel confirmed her status as a leading Sydney Cup contender with victory in the Chairman’s Handicap.
Favourite Zabrasive ($3.70) finished fourth in the AJC Australian Derby won by Shoot Out but the smile was back on O’Shea’s face after Jessicabeel’s Group Two victory over 2600 metres.
"It was a great ride by Craig Williams," O’Shea said.
"She is right on track for the Sydney Cup.
"We didn’t get the same run in the Derby but credit where credit’s due, the winner is exceptional."
Williams brought Jessicabeel ($12) from near last at the top of the straight.
She lengthened stride and went on to beat 2008 Sydney Cup winner No Wine No Song ($5.50) by two lengths with last year’s AJC Australian Derby runner-up Harris Tweed ($5.50) another head away third.
Capecover ($20) put in strong performance for fourth with the favourite
Precedence ($2.25) fifth after pulling hard during the race.
Kevin Moses was happy with No Wine No Song but dismayed at the 59kg topweight he had to carry.
"I don’t know how he got that weight and imagine what he could have done with less," he said.
No Wine No Song has been nursed back to health after suffering what was thought to be a career-ending injury.
Kiwi trainer Murray Baker and jockey Michael Rodd were both pleased with Harris Tweed who ran a solid fifth in last year’s Melbourne Cup over the 3200 metres of the Sydney Cup.
"He is on the right track and if we get wet ground, even better," Baker said.
Michelle Payne was warming the saddle for Steven Arnold on Capecover and said the horse pleased her.
"He hit the line nicely, it was a nice run heading to the Cup," she said.
Capecover is trained by Payne’s brother Patrick and won the Adelaide Cup (3200m) in March at his previous start.
High Chaparral’s stocks soar in Derby
2010-04-11T06:22:11+10:00Today at 7:22am
By Caryl WilliamsonSYDNEY, April 11 AAP – A service fee has yet to be determined for High Chaparral this spring but Coolmore Australia says it will not be out of reach despite the stallion’s timely trifecta in the AJC Australian Derby.
Shoot Out beat Descarado and Monaco Consul to give High Chaparral a rare result in a three-year-old classic achieved only by his father Sadler’s Wells and champion New Zealand sire Sir Tristram.
Sadler’s Wells sired the trifecta twice in a classic race, when Montjeu won the 1999 Irish Derby from Daliapour and Tchaikovsky and when High Chaparral himself won the same race in 2002 from Sholokov and Ballingarry.
Sir Tristram sired the trifecta in the 1986 New Zealand Oaks with Royal Heights winning from Empire Rose and Eau D’Etoile.
Coolmore recently announced High Chaparral’s move to Australia for the southern hemisphere breeding season after he stood two seasons at New Zealand’s Windsor Park Stud.
Farm manager Peter O’Brien said the service fee would not be announced for another few weeks.
"We never announce our fees until after all the sales and the carnival are finished," O’Brien said.
"But we will set a fee that will appeal to breeders.
"The Derby trifecta is a bonus.
"We haven’t seen a horse have such an impact with just two crops.
"And people forget what a wonderful racehorse he was himself."
High Chaparral won the Irish Derby as well as the English classic and claimed consecutive victories in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
As well as Shoot Out, So You Think won the Cox Plate for his sire and Monaco Consul took out the Spring Champion Stakes and Victoria Derby.
Shoot Out cost Mount Isa couple Graham and Linda Huddy just $15,000 at the Magic Millions yearling sale and he took his earnings to more than $1.3 million with his Derby victory.
The Huddys and trainer John Wallace plan to aim Shoot Out at the Cox Plate and possibly the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in the spring.
Descarado’s trainer Gai Waterhouse said he had been bought specifically with the Melbourne Cup in mind while Mike Moroney said the Queensland Derby was under consideration before he [Monaco Consul] too was aimed at the spring Cups.
the Zabeel four-year-old mare [Jessicabeel] sailed down the
centre of the track
to race into Sydney Cup calculations.
”
She needs that bit of room
and Craig [Williams] was able to get her away from the others and she won well,” O’Shea said.”It’s probably about [how] I would have like to see
[Zabrasive]
ridden but that wasn’t possible.”
Williams believes Jessicabeel will have no problems staying the 3200 metres of the Sydney Cup. ”I wasn’t worried about staying, she just needs to get plenty of room and she will show her best,” Williams said.
Not too sure either Jessicabeel or Zabrasive are going to get a bit of room in a 24 runner race. Do they just want to not be crowded, or do they want a bit of space in front of them so that they don’t have to chop their stride?
Promising three-year-old
Rundle
produced the win of the day after running home hard from the tail of the field to beat a handy field of young stayers in the Galilee Series Final.
Nick Hall rode the son of Galileo patiently before bringing Rundle down the middle of the track with the gelding sweeping to an easy win in the $100,000 event.
Hall said the gelding appeals to him as a possible Melbourne Cup candidate in the spring.
"Today he really travelled up and I didn’t have to help him through his gears,” Hall said. "Not many horses get two miles (3200m) but he gives the indications that he can.
"Today he took himself there, travelled up and did everything perfectly.”
Descarado (NZ) has matured quickly over the autumn, placing three times in succession at group level, and trainer Gai Waterhouse just commented ‘onto the Melbourne Cup’ even before the gelding returned to the second placegetters stall. He might travel to Queensland before that.
If Monaco Consul (NZ) ever returns to racing straight and true there is no barrier to greatness, and he so nearly became just the second winner of the Victoria Derby/AJC Derby double since 1979, with Mahogany the only one to have completed this difficult double. Perhaps his future is in the breeding barn.
Feature on the owner-breeder of Precedence:-
Melbourne Cup next goal for top breeder Sir Patrick Hogan with Precedence
* Nathan Exelby
* From: The Courier-Mail
* April 09, 2010 12:00AMIT might be 42 years since he first bred an AJC Derby winner but, for Sir Patrick Hogan, the hunger remains as strong as ever as he heads to tomorrow’s Randwick meeting with a horse he hopes can deliver him a Melbourne Cup.
Precedence, a horse he co-bred and now owns one-third of, is a short-priced favourite to win the Chairman’s Handicap.
Sir Patrick has enjoyed many wonderful moments on AJC Derby day, dating back to the 1968 winner Wilton Park, which he bred with his late father.
Bankrolled by the champion father-son team of Sir Tristram and Zabeel, horses bred by Sir Patrick have since won multiple Melbourne Cups, Caulfield Cups and Cox Plates, a Golden Slipper and countless Derbys and Oaks.
A guide to just how successful the breeder has been can be gauged by his not naming former public idol Octagonal among the favourite three horses he has bred, with Surround, Tristarc and Gurner’s Lane at the top of the tree.
"I don’t leave Octagonal out of it but, if you go back over the past 30 years, I’ve probably bred more Group 1 winners than any other breeder, so it’s a hard question," Sir Patrick said.
Having accomplished everything in breeding, for which his achievements were honoured with a knighthood in 1998, the proud Irish-born New Zealander now wants to win Australia’s greatest race as an owner.
"
Where I am now, at 71 years old, my greatest desire is to own a Melbourne Cup winner.
"I’ve been a personal friend of Bart Cummings for 40 years or more and I thought the only way I could possibly win a Melbourne Cup is that, one, Bart trains it, and two, Dato Tan (Chin Nam) has to join me in the partnership.
"In New Zealand I’ve won the Auckland, Wellington and New Zealand cups. I’ve also won the top two-mile trotting cup with Mountain Gold. I’ve got those cups on the table.
"Now I have to get a bit serious in Australia. And first and foremost it’s the Melbourne Cup. I’m not going to chase Chin Nam’s number or Bart’s number, but I need them to help me and it’s better to have a piece of the horse with these two guys because they are blessed."
Sir Patrick’s Cambridge Stud has been the dominant AJC Derby force in the modern era.
Resident stallion Zabeel has sired the winner four times – Octagonal, Sky Heights, Don Eduardo and Fiumicino – and he is in the box seat to add to the tally with his three runners tomorrow headed by hot favourite Zabrasive.
Fellow Cambridge stallion Keeper is the sire of Kiwi hope Keep The Peace, while Sir Patrick himself races the Savabeel gelding Suyama, although he’s not holding his breath for the $71 chance to deliver any miracles.
Zabeel turns 24 this year but is in good health and will line up for a 20th season at Cambridge this spring.
Asked if he thought Rundle could be a Cups horse in the spring, Hall replied: "It wouldn’t surprise me at all.
"He’s really got massive capacity.
"He would be super sharp in a Cup as he can really let down."
However Hall said it was hard to compare Rundle with his stablemate Linton, also by Galileo, who has won two of his four starts including the Group Two Alister Clark Stakes and hasn’t raced since finishing third to Rock Classic in the Australian Guineas at Flemington.
"I don’t think we saw anything of what Linton is capable of doing," Hall said.
"Linton is so raw at the moment whereas this horse (Rundle) is more complete and putting it together now.
"Today he really travelled up and I didn’t have to help him through his gears.
"Not many horses get two miles (3200m) but he gives the indications that he can.
"Today he took himself there, travelled up and did everything perfect.
"He was strong to the line for a very soft win."
- Total Posts 17716
Patrick Hogan was the John Magnier of Australasian breeding before the advent of the shuttle stallion. His mantle has been somewhat usurped by the likes of John Messara these days due to the popularity of speed in Australian racing/breeding. Messara was heavily involved in Danehill and stands current super sire Redoute’s Choice among others. Hogan has always concentrated his breeding around Classic types rather than the sprinter milers of the Messara mould.
I was in Phuket for the weekend, so I’ve only just seen these races.
Shoot Out was fantastic, hope he does go to Cups.
Precedence was disappointing, but don’t be surprised if he turns it around in the Sydney Cup. It is Bart after all.
I’ve loved Jessicabeel for a long time, so I was so disappointed she won without me backing her.
I don’t know much about Rundle, but plenty of people think he was impressive. Still think Linton is probably better though. Don’t worry about Linton, Gerald, he reminds me more of an Efficient whereas Rundle seems to be more like the C’est La Guerre.
Monaco Consul ran super, he seems to find lengths over here. Rumour has it that Mike Moroney is going to keep him up, because he feels that now he has struck form he may as well keep going. So it is either to the Sydney Cup or the Queensland Derby (early June).
The feeling down here is that our 3yo staying crop is pretty damn good – thanks mainly to three European classic sires in Shamardal, Galileo and High Chaparral, as well as the Kiwi perennial favourite Zabeel.
I’m going to go out on a limb though – I think that this year’s Melbourne Cup could have the potential to be one of the best in a while. I’d say the last top class Cup was probably 1996. We’ve had some good ones since then – 2004 was pretty good, as was 2002, 2001, 1997 – but nothing in that sort of class. I’m hoping this year can finally prove to be a top class race.
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