WITH the closing of the first round of declarations on Tuesday, six International entries remain in the Melbourne Cup field. Joseph O’Brien’s pair Twilight Payment and Master Of Reality, and Johnny Murtagh’s Sonnyboyliston lead the Irish charge. All three have been declared to run in tomorrow’s Irish St Leger.
Andrew Balding has the American-bred Spanish Mission declared, while Newmarket-based trainers David Simcock, with Rodrigo Diaz, and Ismail Mohammed, with Away He Goes, make up the sextet.
“Considering the new requirements that have come into play with the pre-travel diagnostics, as well as the Covid situation with people being unable to travel or to get a passenger flight is proving difficult, so to have three or four runners likely for the Melbourne Cup is a great result,” said the Victoria Racing Club’s Leigh Jordon. “To have the prospect of last year’s Melbourne Cup winner in Twilight Payment return is great and Spanish Mission is probably the in-form stayer in Europe at the moment with form through Stradivarius.”
Joseph O’Brien’s Saratoga Derby winner State Of Rest is the only visitor declared for the Cox Plate, though Gold Trip is a likely runner for new trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. First declarations left just Spanish Mission and Rodrigo Diaz in the Caulfield Cup. Rodrigo Diaz is also expected to join the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable.
THE British-bred Zaaki resumed racing on Saturday, laying down a warning for the spring with a dominant win in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes at Randwick over 1,400 metres.
Having steamrolled through Brisbane’s Winter carnival with a trio of big race wins, including the Group 1 Doomben Cup, Saturday’s win only served to strengthen his grip on pre-post betting for the Cox Plate. Zaaki is now a tight $2.80 favourite ahead of Verry Elleegant at $8.
“It’s a bit of relief, to tell you the truth,” said Neasham following the Leroidesanimaux gelding’s win.
“I knew he was going well leading into this, but I just wondered whether seven furlongs would be a little bit short of his best. He’s obviously got plenty of improvement, so we should be in for a really exciting campaign.
“Obviously there’s a few logistics to work out if he is to go down to Melbourne. He’ll certainly have one run down there before the Cox Plate, it’s whether he has two, but we’ll let the dust settle, see how he comes through and look, he’s going to be hard to beat wherever he goes.” Jockey James McDonald was succinct in his appraisal of Zaaki: “He was electric, put a good field to shame and did it easily.”
THE Danny O’Brien-trained Superstorm won himself a ballot free entry into October’s Cox Plate following his win in Saturday’s Group 2 Feehan Stakes, formerly known as the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes before reverting to it’s registered name this year.
Over Moonee Valley’s 1,600 metres, the Bob Peters-owned Sebring gelding was able to weave through on the rail and grab the race favourite Elephant in the shadows of the post. “He hasn’t got a brilliant turn of foot but he does build his momentum,” said Oliver. “It is probably not the ideal track here for him but he’s always shown good quality and when the gaps opened up he was able to get through well.”
AT this third attempt, Nature Strip has won the Group 3 Concorde Stakes over 1,000 metres. For the past three seasons it has been the seven-year-old’s opener in the spring with his sprightly form indicating that his unfinished business in the Everest is top of the agenda.
With over A$8 million banked from 17 wins, Nature Strip has run seventh and fourth in the past two editions of the Everest. The $15 million sprint that has a field limit of 12 is scheduled for October 16th at Randwick. Ridden by James McDonald, Nature Strip won comfortably by nearly three lengths ahead of the Snitzel horse Wild Ruler and the Street Cry gelding Trekking, fourth in last year’s Everest.
“I was just coasting through his gears; he’s so balanced and he’s just in a really, really good frame of mind,” said McDonald.
JOSEPH O’Brien’s 2019 Eyrefield Stakes winner Degraves won his second race in Australia at Moonee Valley.
Trained by Robert Hickmont for a Lloyd Williams-run syndicate, Degraves took the victory over 2,040 metres by the narrowest of margins over Heart Of Puissance, the pair both holding Melbourne Cup entries.
Williams, ever the tactician, may have been sizing up the Moonee Valley Cup over 2,500 metres on October 22nd as a potential Cup entry point for Degraves. The Irish-bred Camelot gelding is also a Flemington winner over 1,600 metres with both wins coming on slow ground.
Hickmott and Williams were also represented by Dawn Patrol, who had his first run in Australia since leaving Joseph O’Brien’s yard, in the Feehan Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday. The Galileo gelding finished 11th of 13, but was beaten only three and a half lengths in what was likely a prep run for bigger spring targets, not least because he was running over one mile for the first time in his career.
The similar assessment can be made of the French import Port Guillaume who finished last in the same race. The former Jean-Claude Rouget inmate, a Group 2 winner, was making his first start for Ben and JD Hayes.