In, out. In, out. The Melbourne Cup’s been shaken about – day four preview
There is an absence of colonial sprinters in Berkshire to cause a stir and take the British stirling back Down Under, but Australia has still emerged as the talk of the track over the last two days, as the conversation erupted over the prospects of its most prestigious race, the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m).
The impact on international raiders from Europe was likely to be played out at some stage over the weeks and months leading into this year’s spring carnival in light of the significant changes and new veterinary requirements imposed on runners wishing to compete in Melbourne by Racing Victoria, chiefly among them mandatory scans both prior to departure and in the lead up the Cup itself.
Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby appeared to brush off concerns, suggesting the destiny of Kimari (Dubawi), Wednesday’s winner of the Queen Vase (Gr 2, 1m 6f), was Australia and the Melbourne Cup, leading to, I’m sure, if they were up at such early hours, a huge sigh of relief from Giles Thompson and his RV cohorts that the international appeal of their flagship event had not diminished due to the controversial new changes.
Hopefully, they didn’t then saunter cosily off to bed, as if they did they will have awaken to news that Aidan O’Brien, the Coolmore supremo who has thus far shown unwavering support for the carnival despite their recent tragedies, in response to a question on the prospect of last year’s Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) runner-up Armory (Galileo) returning for another crack this year, effectively ruled out participation from his enviable talent pool in Melbourne’s spring, labelling it ‘impossible’ to send horses to Australia under the new regulations.
“I’m not sure whether we’ll get to go to Australia with many of the horses this year,” O’Brien said. “There’s a new scan brought in that very few horses will pass. And it’s a nuclear scan that you have to inject dye into their system and they have to stay in an enclosed box for four days for this nuclear thing to go out.
“So really it’s probably impossible for us to go with horses if that is one of the new things this year. Maybe that will change. But I imagine very few of them will get through that or very few of them we actually ask (to do that).”
This would present a hammer blow to Racing Victoria and one that will leave an inconspicuous hole in the spectacle this spring.
On to today’s racing, and two events on the seven-race card would, ordinarily, unearth a possible contender for the spring carnival.
For the King Edward VII Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 4f) it may be a case of not this year, but next.
While the winner of the mile-and-a-half race for three-year-olds may not throw up a contender, it’s those in behind that need watching.
In recent years the likes of Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Best Solution (Dubawi) and Cox Plate winner Adelaide (Galileo) have contested, without succeeding, in the King Edward VII Stakes, while 2018 runner-up Rostropovich (Frankel) came down that very same year to Australia, running fifth in the Melbourne Cup as a northern hemisphere three-year-old.
Among last year’s six-runner field, two now ply their trade in Australia, with the now John O’Shea-trained Sound Of Cannons (Nathaniel) and Chris Waller’s Mohican Heights (Australia) residing Down Under.
This year, eight runners will go to post, and there are a couple worth keeping an eye on.
Title (Camelot) sports the two-tone blue of Highclere Thoroughbreds, who have an ever-expanding arm in Australia having raced the likes of Group 2 winner Libran (Lawman) as well as current stars Lord Belvedere (Archipenko), Bartholomeu Dias (Mount Nelson) and Saturday’s Sydney winner Great House (Galileo).
A last-start winner at Yarmouth, his first from three starts, Title is out Danehill (Danzig) mare Danehill’s Dream, a producer of US stakes winner Yesterdayoncemore (No Nay Never), as well as Australian winner Birth Of Venus (High Chaparral), who was covered by Yes Yes Yes (Rubick) last year.
This is also the family of Mackinnon Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Awesome Rock (Fastnet Rock), whose dam Awesome Planet (Giant’s Causeway) was a Group 3 winner at Doomben.
Highclere founder Harry Herbert said Title was a horse that was at one stage considered for the Derby, while he showed no qualms over sending horses to Australia, suggesting Title could make his way to the southern hemisphere in the future.
“He’s a really nice son of Camelot,” Herbert told Racing.com. “He is highly regarded and was considered for the Derby … so we’re really excited about him.
“I’d send them all down to Australia if I could, but he’s a son of Camelot who’s doing really well down there in Australia.”
Later on the card is the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (1m 4f), which is, again, a race that has thrown up several subsequent Australian runners.
Le Don De Vie (Leroidesanimaux), fourth in the race last year, is now trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman having finished second in the Geelong Cup (Gr 3, 2400m) and fifth in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 3, 2600m) after missing out on a Melbourne Cup berth.
Kinema (Galileo), winner of the Duke Of Edinburgh in 2016, went on to be trained by Chris Waller, winning a Flemington handicap having run fourth in the Geelong Cup.
Present in this year’s running is the OTI Racing-owned Mirann (Motivator), a last-start runner-up of a Curragh handicap.
Terry Henderson, CEO of OTI Racing, said it was the increased cost of bringing a horse to Australia that poses the biggest obstruction.
“It costs about $35,000 to bring a horse out from Europe these days, but to bring it out through Werribee quarantine I’d say it’s going to be closer to $55,000 this year,” said Henderson on Facebook Live on Wednesday. “So it will affect many of those horses that you would have otherwise brought out because it was a convenient thing to do.
“You’ll only be bringing horses out that can justify that additional expense. So horses like Mirann or True Self, who’s been out here the last couple of years, they’ll still be on that plane.”
Wide open Group 1 contests headline day four
The Commonwealth Cup (Gr 1, 6f) and Coronation Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) will hope to offer a clearer picture of what are muddled three-year-old sprint and mile fillies’ divisions.
Mother Earth (Zoffany) is the 7-2 favourite in what’s a wide-open renewal of the Coronation Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) on the round course at Ascot, with the O’Brien family responsible for three of the leading four contenders. Aidan trains Mother Earth along with Empress Josephine (Galileo), a sister to champion two- and three-year-old Minding, while son Joseph will saddle Pretty Gorgeous (Lawman) with Frankie Dettori in the saddle. She is a half-sister to Toronado (High Chaparral) stakes winner Alwaab.
Two fillies top the market for the Commonwealth Cup, a race that has been won by colts the last four years, including Coolmore shuttler Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) in 2017.
Suesa, a daughter of Night Of Thunder (Dubawi), is the 4-1 favourite from Wesley Ward’s American raider and last year’s Queen Mary Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) winner Campanelle (Kodiac).
A field of 19 will go to post, with three-year-olds by Cable Bay (Invincible Spirit), Exceed And Excel (Danehill), Sir Prancealot (Tamayuz), Belardo (Lope De Vega) and Sepoy (Elusive Quality).
Lippizaner (Uncle Mo) once again takes his place at Royal Ascot having finished fourth in the Norfolk Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) last year. He is out of Australian-bred mare and Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Irish Lights (Fastnet Rock), already the dam of Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Omei Sword (High Chaparral).
Starspangledbanner seeks to continue form with Albany runner
Starspangledbanner (Choisir) has made an exceptional start to the 2021 season and Flotus will bid to continue that momentum today in the Albany Stakes (Gr 3, 6f).
The 100-30 favourite is owned by a syndicate featuring Australian-based trainer Jean Dubois, as well as Hong Kong owner Ben Kwok, with the two-year-old filly set to be piloted by Dettori.
Elliptic will go for Caravaggio, who is out of Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Aqua De Vida, who, surprisingly, is from the family of the multiple Grade 1-winning chaser Beef Or Salmon (Cajetano).