Forum Replies Created
- Posts
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.
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.
That sounds about right…the 3rd dam of Dublin (Grey Mirage) is the 3rd dam of our horse we recently sold.
She is a speed horse, can’t get further than 1200m (6f), but her two half siblings have won at 2100m and 1600m respectively (and the one that won at 1600m, Reigning Rhythm, looks like a 2 miler already!).
So I’m not sure, it is definitely a speed family but with a bit of stamina injected in they can definitely stay.
Does anyone give Dublin any chance?
I reckon he is crying out for a distance.
My family part owned a mare down here in Australia who was closely related to Dublin (she went off to the breeding barn recently), so I am looking forward to seeing how he goes.
Then you also have to consider the travelling fees, etc – for some reason the VRC and Racing Victoria don’t pay for horses who stay here.
Seems weird to me.
If you think you will run top 10, it is worth it. Prizemoney for 10th is $110000.
I actually thought he would have had a massive chance for the Melbourne Cup last year, while he won at 1600m and 2000m he is bred to stay.
And he had no luck whatsoever in the Derby.
Hissing Sid was a final acceptor, but he was one of three horses balloted from the field (the others were Six O’Clock News and Vigor).
Chiswickian, as far as I’m aware, your mail about Paddy Payne is spot on.
Yeah, I think Mike de Kock made the mistake of saying it will go to Hayes.
Can’t wait to see the BMW – I’m going to be at Rosehill, it will be a good race. It has lost its lustre in recent years, particularly with no 3yos tackling it. But still, might be a bigger than normal field this year – that’s good.
I’ll try and tell you the last five individual winners off the top of my head:
Shocking – qualified through his 2nd in the Queensland Derby, June 2009
Viewed – qualified through his Brisbane Cup win, June 2008
Efficient – qualified through his Victoria Derby win, November 2006
Delta Blues – qualified through his Japan Cup placing?? Or his Japanese St Leger win?? Something like that.
Makybe Diva – first time around, qualified through the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, November 2002, after that she was automatically qualified for her next two Cups obviouslyConditions state
internationally recognised
.
However, when did he win it? It may not count come November, it will have had to be after August 1 2008.
Zabeel’s going to have a big year – he already has three of my top watches for the Melbourne Cup – Zabrasive, Zarzuela and Precedence.
Re: Warringah, there is going to be a massive change of tactics, he’s going to drop to the tail of the field, or somewhere near. That and heaps of gear changes.
Precedence is a very nice horse, he’s been that little bit better since being gelded. He may even back up into the Group 1 The BMW.
There’s a big possibility Mourilyan won’t be allowed into Australia again if Ramzan Kadyrov still owns the horse.
Well done Gerald!!! Well one of them got to the Melbourne Cup (Fiumicino), one should of (one of my favourite all time horses in Ready to Lift, she didn’t handle the Melbourne way of going, anticlockwise), one lost all form (Mr Tipsy), one was injured (Divine Rebel, she’ll probably be there this year) and the other two wouldn’t stay the distance.
You’ve found out a lot since then!!!
I agree they overhyped him – but our WFA ranks are extremely weak at the moment, especially on a staying front. And I can’t have Theseo over 2400m.
That’s a surprise, and I reckon he can eat his words after the horse’s run in the Ranvet.
Many people still believe he would have won the Caulfield Cup easily last year, although there is a bit of a boom around him down here.
The one I think is peaking at the right time, just not sure if she is good enough though, is Divine Rebel. Her runs at the start of this prep were ordinary, but she seems to really be peaking now.
The Ranvet Stakes (G1 WFA 2000m) was run at Rosehill on Saturday, and there were some good trials from a BMW (2400m G1 WFA) and a Sydney Cup (3200m G1 Hcp) perspective.
The result was Theseo won from Rangirangdoo, with Speed Gifted returning to form for 3rd.
Looks like Theseo is going to the BMW and then to the Singapore International Cup, there is a slight query about him staying a strong 2400m though.
Rangirangdoo failed to see out a strong 2000m, he’ll go to the Doncaster.
Speed Gifted’s run was a lot better than his miserable last in the Chipping Norton, he’ll be hard to beat in the BMW.
Daffodil was 4th, and she’s on track too.
Other big runs were from No Wine No Song (totally unsuited at 2000m WFA, yet he just missed 4th with a barnstorming run – he won the 2008 Sydney Cup but he’d had only one run before February, he’s doing well), Divine Rebel, Moatize and Littorio.
They look to be the main contenders for the BMW, the only other contenders I would think are Sirmione, Precedence, Master O’Reilly and Harris Tweed.
I’m going to be at Rosehill for the BMW, can’t wait.
On another note – Alcopop has flopped badly at his two runs this time in, and is going for a spell. Does not look anything like the horse who was favourite for the Melbourne Cup.