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I’ve got a real soft spot for Monaco Consul.
He was part of the massive spring I had last year – I’m still kicking myself though, the day the Spring Champion market came out I went and had two doubles.
Monaco Consul into Manhattan Rain in the Cox
So You Think into Manhattan Rain in the CoxThis was despite the fact I had backed So You Think at 150s in the Cox Plate.
My thinking was that Manhattan Rain would head there if he ran alright in the Caulfield Guineas, as he was already a G1 winner and Gai had stated that she wanted to give him his chance.
But I thought that So You Think would need to win the Spring Champion to target the Cox Plate.
How annoying in hindsight! I could have had Monaco Consul in the Spring Champion at 71s, his opening price, into So You Think at 71s (he had come in after his first up run).
Still kicking myself.
At least I had won when SYT won the Cox Plate, that was a personal greatest moment in racing.
Anyway, watching his runs in the VRC Derby and AJC Derby, he looks the right type for a Melbourne Cup for mine.
Shamoline Warrior may be too brilliant for mine.
I’m gutted – I thought she could become only the fourth mare to win the Cups double.
Hmmm, who to look to now? Maybe Theology, maybe Monaco Consul, maybe Jaguar Mail.
No, no, no, no, no!!!! Where did you hear about Zarzuela?
And Chiswickian, I reckon that the deal wasn’t finalised, so Coolmore does what all companies like to do – denies everything.
I agree with Just A Blaze, he seems to be the improving type who could sneak into the field.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she enters Theseo or More Joyous in the Melbourne Cup, and then decides to give them a run if they win the Cox Plate.
Theseo is qualified for the Melbourne Cup off his 2nd in The BMW last year.
Neither are likely to stay 3200m at all, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them there.
Bianca is retired, I loved her, so honest!
Hmmm Racenet announced Miss Maren’s retirement a while ago, but she’s with a new trainer in her native land (NZ). Interesting…
Thanks. I thought Kibbutz had passed it, but turns out he hadn’t!!! Surprising.
I thought his 4th in the MV Cup would have got him over the line, but no.
Zabrasive has qualified, he won $65000 for running 4th in the AJC Derby which qualified him.
Nom du Jeu has been retired to stud.
Horses in the order of entry which I believe are unlikely to be seen this spring are:
Hume
Mr Clangtastic
Roman Emperor (not sure about that, but I’d heard some suggestions that he was to be retired)
Savarain
Light Vision
Gallica (retired)
Miss Maren (retired)
Road to Rock (retired)Query – so if you have written no next to their name, it means they aren’t qualified?
Latest news – Katsumi Yoshida has booked Craig Williams for the ride on Jaguar Mail in the Melbourne Cup.
They are still planning to come to Australia, and are working towards it.
Just hope that the Government approves the quarantine facilities in the next couple of weeks.
The Japanese may be back!!!
Hmmm I’m not quite sure about RP ratings so I’ll stay out.
It is definitely seen though that the AJC Derby and VRC Derby are at the top of the pecking order. Some years, the QLD Derby too.
The SA Derby is probably Group 2 standard, the WA Derby Group 3 standard.
Tasmanian and NT Derby are Listed class or worse.
Use the same for the Oaks.
As for the Guineas – Caulfield, Randwick, Rosehill and Australian Guineas are the four top Guineas.
Just below that would be the Queensland Guineas.
The rest are well below that standard.
Last Tuesday’s Melbourne Herald Sun apparently carried a story that either Mourilyan or Mourayan had died. I’m trying to source a copy of the newspaper, I’m in Sydney though so it is a tad hard.
Of course as the best racehorse trainer on the planet it’s only to be expected that he’d be spoilt for choice and the icing on the cake is that it would be hard to find a better jockey than Pat Smullen!
We Antipodeans would say a clear second best – behind Bart Cummings. We no doubt agree he is second best though, and the best trainer outside of Australia
Just spoke to RVL – they are expecting between four and eight internationals in the Melbourne Cup.
And they hope for at least one international in the Cox Plate – and it is the big one, Gloria De Campeao.
It seems that he is still on track to run in Melbourne, which is great news.
I’m looking forward to seeing your order of entry Gerald!!!
It will be interesting though, because a horse like Efficient will be near the top of the weights but I don’t think he’s passed the first ballot clause!
Spring Racing Carnival to face largest international contingent on record
The Victoria Racing Club is gearing up for a mammoth Melbourne Cup with news that one of the largest international contingents on record may compete at this year’s Spring Racing Carnival.
Racing Victoria international scout Leigh Jordan has been overseas talking to trainers and owners about potential runners for the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.
The response has been nothing short of amazing.
Just Horse Racing has already revealed that Dermot Weld has four potential travellers. This includes the two favourites in Betfair’s pre-nomination trading for the Melbourne Cup in Profound Beauty and Rite of Passage. He also has Cox Plate possible Famous Name and another Melbourne Cup horse in Majestic Concorde. Click here to read more.
Top English trainer Luca Cumani revealed to Just Horse Racing last week that Manighar and Drunken Sailor were his two most likely competitors, with Bauer and Purple Moon also a chance. Click here to read more.
We have also brought you details of Jeremy Noseda’s two possible runners, Sans Frontieres and Theology. Click here to read more.
Leigh Jordan, in an interview with Sky Racing, revealed more potential visitors to Melbourne this spring.
The world’s largest stable, Godolphin, is expected to return after finishing second for the third time last year with Crime Scene.
Their main chance is expected to be Holberg, the 2009 Queen’s Vase winner who has a six length victory over Manighar against his name.
Last start, however, he was disappointing as second favourite behind Sans Frontieres in the Princess of Wales Stakes, and he would need to run well at his next start to push ahead to Melbourne.
Nevertheless, Godolphin has numerous horses in contention and it will depend on performances in the next few weeks.
It is unclear whether Aidan O’Brien will bring horses to Melbourne.
His last journey to Australia was in 2008, when he brought three horses – Septimus, Honolulu and Alessandro Volta.
All three finished near the tail after setting a blistering early tempo.
This year, it seems he has limited choice, with the two most likely contenders Ascot Gold Cup runner up Age of Aquarius and Queen’s Vase winner Mikhail Glinka.
Jane Chapple-Hyam, daughter of former opposition leader Andrew Peacock, had a bad experience last time in Australia when her gelding Yellowstone was scratched the night before the 2008 Melbourne Cup.
She is hoping that she may have a better experience with Golden Sword, an Irish Derby runner up with form around classy horses like Sea The Stars, Conduit, Fame and Glory and Rip Van Winkle.
“We are definitely planning to run Golden Sword in the Group Three Coutts Glorious Stakes (2400m) on July 30,” Chapple-Hyam said.
“We’ll see from there.”
The Glorious Stakes was contested last year by subsequent Melbourne Cup contenders Crime Scene, Basaltico and Warringah.
John Gosden is a renowned traveller of horses, having won numerous Group races in Europe and the United States.
He has never had a runner in Australia, but that may change with the trainer likely to nominate King of Wands for the Melbourne Cup.
King of Wands has won five of his eleven starts, including a last start victory in the Coral Marathon (3200m) at Sandown.
French trainers may look to Melbourne too, with news that the impressive Group 1 Prince of Wales Stakes winner Byword may be heading to the Cox Plate.
That day, Byword beat well travelled stars Presvis, Shalanaya, Cavalryman and Twice Over.
His trainer, Andre Fabre, has indicated that a Cox Plate run is a definite possibility.
It was announced earlier this year that fellow French trainer Pascal Bary was looking at the Cox Plate for his Dubai World Cup winner Gloria de Campeao.
It is unknown if Bary still intends to bring his star to Melbourne, but it is likely that more will be known after he runs in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York on August 17.
Just Horse Racing brought to you the story of Hong Kong horse Carthage and the ownership dispute which resulted in a change of trainer. Read more here.
It can be confirmed that Carthage is now with Derek Cruz, and that one of the possible aims for the horse is the Melbourne Cup.
It is still believed that John Moore’s Able One is a possibility for the Cox Plate.
The Japanese, who have been unable to compete since 2006 when they quinellaed the Melbourne Cup, have only a few days left to get government approval.
If this cannot be reached, the Spring Racing Carnival will not see Japanese horses for the fourth consecutive year.
This year’s Spring Racing Carnival promises to be massive, and Just Horse Racing will be there every step of the way. Bookmark us now to receive unprecedented coverage of this year’s Spring Racing Carnival.
Written by Andrew Hawkins
Gerald, any mention of Theology from Noseda?
I still reckon he’d be my top tip at this stage.
And ignore anything Nicholson says about Sir Slick or Sir Time Keeper IMO.
I’m happy to take Theology at 20-1 on Betfair.
I like this horse, I don’t know why, but I’ve already had something very small on the 210s for the Melbourne Cup.
Cumani prepares for Melbourne Cup
Prolific English trainer Luca Cumani has vowed to return to Australia to win the Melbourne Cup, with a number of horses under consideration for a trip down under.
Cumani confirmed to Just Horse Racing that the two most likely to make a trip to Melbourne are Manighar and Drunken Sailor.
Manighar, a European four year old, was purchased by Simon O’Donnell’s OTI Racing at the start of this year with the Melbourne Cup in mind.
Previously trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre in France, Manighar has won three of his seven starts and only missed a place once.
He has form around top European stayers Ask and Schiaparelli, and two starts back easily accounted for 2007 Melbourne Cup seventh Blue Monday.
Drunken Sailor is a much more seasoned galloper, having had thirty starts for eight wins and eleven minor placings.
His last two starts have netted two seconds, in the Northumberland Plate (Britain’s richest two mile handicap) and the John Smith’s Silver Cup over 2800m.
As a result, he will be heading to the Ebor Handicap at York on August 18, with a good result likely to see him on a plane to Australia.
However, Cumani refused to rule out a trip for his previous placegetters Purple Moon (2007) and Bauer (2008).
Purple Moon’s owner, Craig Bennett, is said to be warming to another trip to the Melbourne Cup, having run second to Efficient three years ago.
Since his Melbourne Cup second, Purple Moon has run a place in many major races around the world, including the Hong Kong Vase, Dubai Sheema Classic and the Ascot Gold Cup.
Bauer is returning after a long layoff following an injury suffered in training last year. A return to Melbourne would depend on the gelding recapturing his best form.
He was second to Viewed in one of the tightest photo finishes ever seen in a Melbourne Cup.
Written by Andrew Hawkins
VRC steps up 150th Melbourne Cup celebrations
The Victoria Racing Club begins its celebration of the 150th Melbourne Cup on July 28, with the release of The Story of the Melbourne Cup: Australia’s Greatest Race, a book commemorating the race that stops the nation.
Edited by Stephen Howell of the Slattery Media Group, the book promises to “celebrate the remarkable history of a wonderful horse race – one of the world’s most famous and enduring tests of a thoroughbred.”
“This is a story of the risk takers and planners who have made a race into a cultural phenomenon; toffs and battlers; the genius trainers Cummings, de Mestre and Freedman; the marvellous riding skills of Lewis, White and Boss; the obsessives, the families, and the flukes; the dominance of the Kiwis and the sudden surge of northern invaders; and how the Melbourne Cup has evolved through boom times, wars and depression. The concept of a handicap race as a nation’s greatest event is unique to Australia and the Melbourne Cup. It represents so much about its host nation – a chance for all no matter the circumstances of birth or opportunity,” the Slattery Media Group says.
Sure to be one of the most popular additions to the book is the “24 Runners in the Greatest Cup Never Run.”
Current Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter has selected his ultimate field of Melbourne Cup winners, with his judgement sure to be scrutinised and analysed by racing followers.
The release of the book is the first in a number of events the VRC has planned to celebrate the sesquicentenary of the Melbourne Cup.
A DVD, also entitled The Story of the Melbourne Cup: Australia’s Greatest Race, will be released on August 1.
On August 13, a symposium will be held at the National Museum in Canberra, with a commemorative coin series launched at the symposium.
In late September, Flemington’s new Visitor Centre, Walk of Fame, Guided Walking Tours and Heritage Trail will be unveiled.
The Story of the Melbourne Cup: Australia’s Greatest Race will be available at all good bookstores from mid August.
Written by Andrew Hawkins
