Atlantic Jewel cruises to a clear victory in the Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley. Source: Getty Images
COX Plate hot-shot Atlantic Jewel, Caulfield Cup fancy Jet Away and Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune are on track for a clash of the titans at Caulfield on Saturday.
Throw in the reigning Melbourne Cup champ Green Moon and a host of well-credentialed Group winners and Saturday’s entry-free Group 1 Underwood Stakes over 1800m at Caulfield shapes as an early-spring super race.
Trainer David Hayes will kickstart the campaign of his import Jet Away, while Darren Weir will give Puissance De Lune another crack at Group 1 glory after his gallant second in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington last Saturday week.
And Mark Kavanagh is tossing up the option of running Atlantic Jewel, who took her career record to nine consecutive wins with victory in Saturday’s Group 2 Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley.
The champion mare had such an easy run over the 1600m — which Kavanagh described as “a nice track gallop” — that he is weighing up the option of backing up in the Underwood which is a natural progression to 1800m.
“She could run in the Underwood but I’ll wait and see. I’m really excited now. Our goal is the Cox Plate and we need to look at how best to get her there in the best shape,” Kavanagh said.
Atlantic Jewel returned from a 70-week break to demolish the field in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield before her cruising win on Saturday.
If the mare does not run on Saturday, the next option is the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 5.
If she runs in the Underwood, she can also contest the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on October 12, another appropriate step-up in distance, and have a fortnight before the 2040m weight-for-age championship at Moonee Valley.
Puissance De Lune's Melbourne Cup campaign takes its first major step at Caulffield on Saturday. Picture: Nicole Garmston Source: HeraldSun
She would start the favourite in the Underwood, while punters also would come for Jet Away, Puissance De Lune and Green Moon.
Hayes has been keen to get Jet Away to the races but bowed to the Irish owners and did not run him in the Makybe Diva, saving him for his campaign opener on Saturday.
“He is flying. I can’t wait to get to the track because he is a serious galloper,” he said of the Caulfield Cup favourite.
Weir is equally effusive about the condition of Puissance De Lune.
“He is a bull and he will benefit greatly from the Makybe Diva run. He is in great order and is enjoying his time at Warrnambool. He loves Warrnambool, which is far more relaxed than my stables (in Ballarat).
“You never change anything that works, and preparing for a race at Warrnambool works for him. He does a lot of pushing through the water at the beach and he’ll have a gallop during the week”
Weir said the camp was pleased with his second to Foreteller in the Makybe when pipped at his first crack at Group 1.
Green Moon, last season’s Melbourne Cup winner who was beaten only three lengths by Atlantic Jewel in the Memsie Stakes after a 25-week break, will join the star-studded field, as most likely will Foreteller, Mr Moet, Ethiopia, December Draw and Moudre.
No comments:
Post a Comment