All the Good...is good

ADRIAN DUNN...writing in the Melbourne herald Sun on October 23, 2008

CAULFIELD Cup winner All The Good returned to the track yesterday as he builds towards the Melbourne Cup.

But his Godolphin stable is mindful of the lurking presence of Septimus.

Godolphin travelling foreman Tommy Strang said he felt All The Good was too close to Septimus at the weights even before he was penalised 2kg for winning the Caulfield Cup.

All The Good will carry 55kg in the Melbourne Cup, 3.5kg less than star Irish stayer Septimus.

"If you go basically on European form, Septimus is above all the other horses, but the Melbourne Cup seems to bring them all together," Strang said.

"Our horse is in form. He goes there with a fighting chance."

Strang said he was unable to calculate what weight All The Good would receive from Septimus in Europe.

"He would not run against Septimus. All The Good has gone from a handicap to a Group 1. Septimus runs in Group races all the time," Strang said.

Francesca Cumani, daughter of English-based trainer Luca, who prepares Mad Rush and Bauer, agreed. She said the stable had enormous respect for Septimus.

"Septimus is obviously a Group 1 horse, whereas our horse (Mad Rush) had only one run in a Group 2 race in France before he ran in the Caulfield Cup," Cumani said.

"At level weights you would be very worried about taking on Septimus, but the Melbourne Cup is different and our horse is always improving. I don't think we have got to the bottom of him yet."

Strang said All The Good had performed above his European form, and he had acclimatised well.

"Actually, he's thrived since he's been here, especially the last 10 days. We were hoping rather than confident," he said.

"We were the underdogs, so there was less pressure than being hot favourite."

Strang said All The Good had been a little stiff on Sunday morning but was back to his best.

He said the six-year-old would have one more fast gallop before the Cup.

Mad Rush has recovered well from his luckless fourth in the Caulfield Cup.

"He's feeling fresh and happy. It's all good," Cumani said.

"He's a light-framed horse and doesn't need that much work. We won't need to do much with him between now and the Cup."

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