Melbourne Cup 2008 Blog

The Kiwi's are backing Pantine and Zarius in the Cup

Link: Racing: Phones hot chasing Cup fancy - 31 Aug 2006 - Sport.

Australian bookmakers were quickly on the phone to New Zealand after the first-up run by Melbourne Cup fancy Zarius at Ruakaka yesterday. Over a way-too-short 1400m, Zarius stormed home late to finish fifth, 3.1 lengths from impressive winner Star Of Rio. "Yes, that mildly surprised me," said a delighted trainer Mark Walker. "I thought that if it had been 1600m he would have been in it."

Australian bookies have fielded a lot of money on Zarius to win the Melbourne Cup. "I'll give you Kiwis one thing," said Domebet book manager Brian Taylor, "You're solid on your own horses. Every time we pick up a phone call from New Zealand it's to back Pentane or Zarius in the Melbourne Cup."

Allow begins Melbourne Cup campain

Link: The Virtual FormGuide - AAP - Queensland Oaks Winner Allow To Resume.

Queensland Oaks winner Allow will kick off her Melbourne Cup campaign in a restricted race at Randwick on Tuesday.

Trainer Clarry Conners said the mare would start in the IGA Hcp (1300m), a welter for horses with only one metropolitan win in the past year.

Allow's only win in town was the Group One Queensland Oaks (2400m) in June and she will carry 56kg at Randwick with Patrick Murphy's claim.

"I've got a good race in mind for her in a couple of months time, but she has to kick off somewhere," Conners said.

Allow has won two other races during her 15-start career at Wyong and Gosford.

She is entered for the big three Melbourne features, the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

IOL: Hard work for Jadlee

Link: IOL: Hard work for Jadlee.

Ladbrokes St Leger hope Jadalee put up a solid, rather than spectacular, display to win the Windflower March Stakes at Goodwood today.

Marcus Tregoning’s three-year-old has been pencilled in as a possible contender for the final domestic Classic of the season and showed admirable battling qualities – without ever setting the world alight – to justify his short price in the Listed heat.

Orange Touch and Art Eyes

Link: Australian Horse Breeding and Racing news updated daily, www.thoroughbrednews.co.nz.

Two more possible Spring Racing Carnival raiders will put their Emirates Melbourne Cup prospects on the line this weekend when they contest Sunday morning’s Windflower March Stakes (2800m) at Goodwood.

Orange Touch and Art Eyes, who is also entered for the BMW Caulfield Cup, will take their place in the five-horse race, to be run at 12.40am Sunday AEST.

The Amanda Perrett-trained Orange Touch will be striving for his second win in the Windflower March Stakes, having won the event in 2004.

The lightly-raced seven-year-old, a winner of three of his 13 starts, will be having his first start since finishing fourth of eight runners in the Listed Glorious Stakes (2400m) at Goodwood on 4 August.

Trainer David Elsworth, who Australian racing fans would be familiar with thanks to his association with Melbourne Cup placegetter Persian Punch, will use the Windflower March Stakes to determine whether to push on with a trip to Melbourne with five-year-old mare Art Eyes.

Carte Diamond - Talk about unlucky

Link: Carte Diamond struck down again - Horse Racing - Sport - theage.com.au.

ENGLISH stayer Carte Diamond, who was well on the comeback trail after a narrow escape from death before last year's Melbourne Cup, has succumbed again to injury and is unlikely to race this spring.

Carte Diamond was diagnosed with a serious tendon injury after galloping at Cranbourne last Tuesday and Racing Victoria Ltd stewards yesterday issued an alert to punters wanting to back the six-year-old in the Caulfield and Melbourne cups.

Chief steward Des Gleeson said they were awaiting an official update from Carte Diamond's trainer Brian Ellison, who is expected to arrive in Melbourne on September.

Aussie connection with 100/1 Ebor Winner

Link: International Horse Breeding and Racing news updated daily, www.thoroughbrednews.co.nz.

An ex-pat Australian, resident in England since 1978, trained the upset winner of the York stamina feature, the totesport Ebor (Heritage Handicap) over approx 2700m, on Wednesday.

Jane Chapple-Hyam, 39, a daughter of Melbourne’s Susan Peacock and Andrew Peacock, went to England when her mother was married to Robert Sangster. She met trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam when he trained at the Sangter’s Manton property and they were married for 16 years.

Now training at Newmarket with a small team of 10 Chapple-Hyam had hoped that Mudawin would be good enough to return to her Melbourne to run in the Melbourne Cup, but he had trained on well enough to make an entry.

However, on Wednesday the five-year-old by Intikhab stunning the market to be the longest-priced winner to win the Ebor in 163 years at 100-1.

Paul Makin is 'Glistening' about the Cup

Link: British stayer qualifies | The Courier-Mail.

FLAMBOYANT Gold Coast businessman Paul Makin – the man who raced world champion Starcraft – is close to pulling off another international coup.

Makin last year bought two horses in England to try to win this year's Melbourne Cup and yesterday one of them, Glistening, qualified for a start.

Glistening was beaten a head by Mudawin in the Ebor Handicap (2800m) at York and whether he makes the trip now rests in the hands of the handicapper.

Better Talk Now from the USA

Link: ESPN.com - HORSE - Bernardini responds in workout for Travers.

The connections of Better Talk Now are strongly considering sending him to the Melbourne Turf Cup, scheduled for Nov. 7 in Australia.

"There's never been a North American horse that's run in the Melbourne Cup," said trainer Graham Motion. "It's something that would be tremendous to do. The odds are staked against you, but it would be fun."

Motion said he isn't sure where he would run Better Talk Now next, though the Man o' War at Belmont on Sept. 9 is a possibility. Better Talk Now won the Man o' War last year.

Headhunter & Railings resume

Link: Sportal.com.au - Horseracing.

Caulfield Cup winner Railings and Headturner turned in sensational barrier trials at Rosehill on Tuesday morning as trainer John Hawkes begins his long campaign with the Cup fancies.

Under champion jockey Darren Beadman, Railings clocked 55.23 seconds over 900m in finishing third in his trial, ahead of highly-rated sprinter Gonski.

AJC Derby winner Headturner - who is favourite for the Melbourne Cup and second-favourite for the Caulfield Cup - settled towards the rear of the field in his 900m trial but worked home very strongly to finish fifth and just half a length off the winner in 55.21.

Cherry Mix is cherry ripe

Link: BigPond Sport - Horse Racing.

The world’s biggest stable Godolphin broke their season’s Group 1 drought with a two country double by two Melbourne spring carnival entrants.

Caulfield-Melbourne Cup nominee Cherry Mix completed a brilliant weekend for Australian jockey Kerrin McEvoy winning the Group 1 Rheinland-Pokal der Sparkasse in Cologne.

Cherry Mix is now $81 for the Caulfield Cup but $41 for the Melbourne Cup after winning the 2400m event by four lengths.

Collier Hill ran 3rd and rider Dean Mckeown said the trip was too short for his mount on affected ground and that the Melbourne Cup would suit after the Irish St Leger. Collier Hill is also $41 for the Melbourne Cup.