Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (Group 1 Handicap)

VERRY Elleegant, the favourite heading into the A$5 million Stella Artois Caulfield Cup off the back of a Turnbull Stakes win a fortnight earlier, emphasised her class to remain undefeated at 2,400 metres from three attempts, all at Group 1. Her record now stands at 11 wins, six Group 1s, from 24 starts for A$6.28 million in earnings. Given a confident ride by Mark Zahara, Verry Elleegant pushed off the rail at the 1,400-metre mark to sit one deep, and despite tossing her head about and getting shuffled back a few pairs she came into the race with gusto at the half mile.

On the bend, Anthony Van Dyke was on her back but just couldn’t get on level terms under the urgings of Hugh Bowman. The pair went to the line split by a head, consigning the Galileo horse to second as the The Chosen One, by Savabeel, ran well for third ahead of a fast closing Prince Of Arran who was last on the turn.

“I thought he had us,” said Chris Waller of the five-year-old mare by the Zabeel horse Zed in what was Waller’s first Caulfield Cup win. “I’ve got huge respect for Aidan O’Brien and his team and obviously for Hugh Bowman, but to get one up on them today was pretty special. She’s as tough as anything. She was a very good three-year-old, she was a very good four-year-old and she’s come back just as well at five.

“I thought that weight, 55kg, might not sound a lot to those at home, but I can assure you, Caulfield Cup history would suggest mares with 55kg, they don’t win very often.”

Pressed on a path to the Melbourne Cup he came back in the affirmative. “Yeah for sure. When she first came to me she was touted as a genuine Caulfield - Melbourne Cup horse. I swayed them away from it last year. I didn’t think she was strong enough last year. Obviously weight is the biggest concern. She had so much weight to carry today. It was never going to be easy and she just scraped in.”

Pre-post markets now have Verry Elleegant on the third line of betting at $11 behind the $6 favouirte Tiger Moth.

Verry Elleegant was subsequently penalised 0.5kg following her Caulfield Cup win taking her to 55.5kg in the Melbourne Cup. “Verry Elleegant carried the second highest weight for a winning mare in Caulfield Cup history behind Tranquil Star’s 56kg in 1942 and her hard-fought victory was her sixth Group 1 race to underline her elite standing,” said chief handicapper Greg Carpenter.

“Only one mare has carried more weight to victory in the Melbourne Cup which was Makybe Diva when she carried 58kg to her third win in 2005.”