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Harry Herbert, head of Highclere Syndications, has said that Harbinger is heading to the Arc and that their Melbourne Cup horse will be Theology.
I loved Theology’s run on Friday, he can be competitive.
Only thing is Noseda trains. I don’t think Noseda is a big fan of Australian racing, but he is a great trainer, a good traveller of horses and if he comes, he’ll be primed for the day.
True – it was more his comments about drugs in Australian racing, especially while Takeover Target was at Royal Ascot.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Waller looks to buy him, he has stated here today that he has been analysing Royal Ascot closely, hoping to find a Cup runner.
Wouldnt worry about Naval Escort. He isn’t up to Mebourne Cup standard. Sterling Prince is a nice type from NZ, but again, I dont think he is good enough to win. I think the ones to watch are Faint Perfume, a filly from the Bart Cummings stable and an Oaks winner over 2500m, Linton, who is a very promising Lloyd Williams galloper, Shoot Out, a Queenslander with so much ability, culminating with an AJC derby win, Dariana, who was so impressive beating the boys in the QLD derby, Jessicabeel, who was very impressive in the Sydney Cup over 3200m and Keyora, a kiwi who looks a real chance with maturity.
One of the factors I’ve decided to use to cut the field down is that the horse must have already qualified by now. That rules out Keyora.
They said Rogan Josh wasn’t Melbourne Cup standard a couple of weeks before he won – that said, Naval Escort is no Rogan Josh.
I think that is a good criterium Gerald, I think that the only winners in the last 20 years who weren’t qualified for the first condition of the ballot by this time were Media Puzzle, Might and Power, Let’s Elope and Kingston Rule.
If the melb cup was run next week I would be all over Jessicabeel like white on rice….been very imp by her Rand wins
But come nov who knows and the weld runners if they both make it will be hard to beat.
Waller could do worse than take a good look at John Queally’s mare Elyaadi – she got a shocking ride at Ascot, only issue would be that that race was over 2m 5f and the Cup is over 2m, though she has winning handicap form at 1m 6f and there’ll be plenty of soft listed/group races for her to place in in Europe pre-November – another problem might be her handicap mark is only in the 90’s so getting a run might be tricky.
On the question of whether such-and-such a horse is good enough, my view is that the race is a handicap, and that if a horse is good enough to get into the handicap, then it is good enough to win. It then comes down to the track, ground, distance, draw and whether the horse is in form.
I think it is wrong to write off such horses as Sterling Prince, Naval Escort, Hume (injury permitting) or Hissing Sid as being mere handicappers and not good enough.
On Naval Escort himself, I have to admit I’ve never heard of the sires on the dam side – Pompeii Court, Syntax and Messmate. He is certainly okay at 2400m, it is just a question of how much improvement, if any, there will be for stepping up another half-mile, and whether he can get into the race. 6th in the AJC Derby, behind Roman Emperor, Harris Tweed and Predatory Pricer, and in front of Metal Bender he is certainly within close proximity of the right ballpark as far as "class" is concerned. There’s a couple of bets I’m embarrassed about for the Melbourne Cup, but £7.75 @ 160 Naval Escort isn’t one of them. Hopefully, if he puts up a good performance sometime in the Spring I can trade out at 40-50.
The Hardwicke Stakes may still be a Melbourne Cup guide as third placegetter Barshiba, trained by David Elsworth for Jeff Smith, will be considered for a spring visit.
"I feel there is a little more to come this season. I said to Jeff we should think about Melbourne,” Elsworth said.
Smith and Elsworth are well known in Australia for the previous Melbourne Cup visits with top stayer Persian Punch.
19Jun10 Ascot ( 12 GF ,RPR109 )
I feel there is a little more to come yet this season but that was a very solid run. I said to Jeff (Smith) we should think about Melbourne but he said "talk to the hand the face ain’t listening." – David Elsworth, trainer
Crikey; wouldn’t she struggle a bit having only one eye and all that? Game as a pebble, though.
This is a great article. I’m biased – I wrote it!
http://www.justhorseracing.com.au/news/international-racing/royal-ascot-produces-a-number-of-melbourne-cup-hopefuls/
Royal Ascot produces a number of Melbourne Cup hopefuls
The Royal Ascot carnival may be over for another year, but the form lines will be analysed in the lead up to the Spring Racing Carnival with a number of runners a chance of coming to Melbourne.
As reported last week, the Ascot Gold Cup trifecta – Rite of Passage, Age of Aquarius and Purple Moon – are all possible Melbourne Cup horses.
The Hardwicke Stakes, run over one mile and four furlongs (2414m) at set weights and penalties, is typically a high class race. In 1993, it was won by the next year’s Melbourne Cup winner in Jeune.
This year’s winner was Harbinger, a lightly raced Dansili stallion who won in extremely impressive fashion.
Third in the race was Barshiba, a six year old Irish mare. She is trained by David Elsworth, renowned for his missions to Australia with grand stayer Persian Punch.
Immediately after the race, Elsworth said the Melbourne Cup could be an option.
“I said to the owner we should think about Melbourne, he said ‘talk to the hand, the face ain’t looking’.”
However, the race was all about Harbinger.
His owners, Highclere Syndication’s, have stated that the Melbourne Cup is not on the agenda, instead nominating the Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe at Longchamp as his main target.
“I think that’s what [our trainer] Sir Michael [Stoute] will want to do,” Harry Herbert, head of Highclere Syndication’s, declared.
“I think our Melbourne Cup horse will be Theology.”
Theology ran a very unlucky second in the Queen’s Vase on Friday.
The Queen’s Vase, run over two miles for three year olds, has been won in the past by former contenders Maridpour and Mamool. In 2007, Mahler won the race two starts before he ran 3rd in that year’s Melbourne Cup, won by Efficient.
European three year olds have become increasingly popular types for the Melbourne Cup, as they receive the featherweight of 50.5kg yet are highly ranked in the ballot order. In addition to Mahler, Alessandro Volta ran as a European three year old in 2008, while the ill-fated Changingoftheguard was scratched on race morning last year.
This year’s Vase has produced two possible contenders, in Theology and the Aidan O’Brien-trained winner Mikhail Glinka. Both are sons of English Derby winner Galileo.
Another match up awaits both Theology and Mikhail Glinka in the English St Leger, with a good performance likely to ensure a ticket to Melbourne.
Written by Andrew Hawkins
In addition to which, the winner of the Queen Alexandra, Bergo, is a possible for the Nakayama Grand Jump!
Interesting that Sabotage is running in the Northumberland Plate. I’d have thought Suroor would have half an eye on checking whether the horse would be suitable for the Melbourne Cup.
edit: Also, Stanstill would have to win this to qualify for the Melbourne Cup on prize money, and also needs to go up a stone to get into the race!
[b:22cc76o9]Gai prepares for spring riches[/b:22cc76o9]
http://www.melbourne-cup-2010.com.au/news/gai-prepares-for-spring-riches/Leading Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse is preparing for one of her strongest assaults on the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Racing manager for Waterhouse, Mark Webbey, says that AJC Australian Oaks winner Once Were Wild, AJC Australian Derby runner up Descarado and improving ex-Kiwi stayer Herculian Prince are all back in work with the target being the two Cups.
Once Were Wild only returned to Tulloch Lodge recently, having a decent break after her impressive three length victory in the AJC Australian Oaks.
“She’s doing well,” Webbey said. “We have her trialling around August 6th, with her first run possibly in the Tramway Handicap (1400m) on September 4.”
“The mare appears to be an ideal Caulfield Cup horse and we are hopeful that she may be able to extend to the 3200m.”
Descarado and Herculian Prince have been at the stables longer, and will start their campaigns earlier.
“Both horses are now up to ¾ pace,” Webbey said. “They will have their first trials towards the end of July.”
It is likely that they will be kept apart during their lead up races.
“Descarado is scheduled to have his initial start this preparation in the Warwick Stakes on August 21.”
“Herculian Prince is pencilled in to run at Caulfield in the Liston Stakes on August 14 – however, this may change if we decide to kick off in Sydney.”
Despite Waterhouse’s enormous success, she is yet to train a Caulfield or Melbourne Cup winner.
She has had numerous runners in the Caulfield Cup, her best result a 2nd with classy mare Aqua D’Amore in 2006, who led until the final few strides.
From twelve runners in the Melbourne Cup, she has managed two thirds with tough stayer Te Akau Nick in 1993 and three year old Nothin’ Leica Dane in 1995.
As one of racing’s most popular ambassadors, a Waterhouse victory on the first Tuesday of November would surely be widely celebrated.
Well, Andy, looks like one of your wishes will come true. Big Buck’s will start walking his box as well . . .
Bauer camp eye another crack at Melbourne Cup
By Andrew Scutts 9:15AM 10 JUN 2010Australia: Bauer, beaten a nose in the 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup, is progressing well from injury and connections are eyeing another crack at the prestigious Flemington contest, which will be run for the 150th time this year.
The Luca Cumani-trained stayer is set to step up his training regime next month with a view at going one better than two years ago when he was defeated by Viewed.
"The scans have all been clean, which is pleasing and the horse has been in work a long time now with the intention of coming back to Melbourne for this year’s Cup," part-owner Simon O’Donnell said on Thursday.
"He’s built up from walking to cantering and trotting and will start his serious race gallops in July.
"The intention is to give him two or three runs in Europe and assuming all goes well and the horse pleases Luca, then he’ll be headed back to Melbourne."
Bauer emerged from a crop of more highly fancied international raiders in 2008 to win the Geelong Cup before narrowly losing out in an epic Melbourne Cup.
"He was one of those imports that improved out of sight when he got to this hemisphere," O’Donnell added.
"He grew in stature from the minute he arrived, he loved the firm ground and the Cup was run in a manner that year that suited him."
Bauer is one of four European horses that O’Donnell and Terry Henderson’s OTI Racing are preparing for a tilt at this year’s Spring Racing Carnival and ultimately the Melbourne Cup on November 2.
The Cumani-trained Manighar, who is owned by OTI Racing and the Honourable EarleMack, is also a Cup contender and O’Donnell said: "We were particularly pleased with his debut run [for Cumani]. We were pleased to see him running so well on good ground because it was the one box he hadn’t ticked.
"The run the other night gave us a lot of confidence that he has the qualities to be a Cup horse if he continues in the right direction."
Another Cumani possible is Becqu Adoree, who was eighth of nine on her British debut last month.
"She was not as bright as we’d hoped, but she played up in the gates beforehand and has come on since then," O’Donnell said.
"We’re expecting an improved showing next time out."
OTI could also be represented by John Smith’s Northumberland Plate candidate Stansill, who is trained by Alan Swinbank.
I’d missed this Gerald.
BAUER
or "George" as they call him, is my hero and my heartbreaker!! Love him!! Hope he returns to the track with this engine roaring…and makes it to Melbourne again
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