Glencadam Gold will not run in the Lexus Stakes on Saturday, but will go straight into the Melbourne Cup. Photo: Darren Pateman
STEWARDS will carefully monitor the progress of Melbourne Cup hopeful Glencadam Gold in the lead-up to Tuesday's race after the stayer was detected with heat in his leg earlier this week.
With positions in the Melbourne Cup becoming crucial to those on the edge of the field, the wellbeing or otherwise of the Sydney-trained stayer could mean a vital passage-way into the race for another hopeful.
The Gai Waterhouse stable has resorted to taking the import to the beach this week and on Wednesday ruled him out of a start in the Lexus Stakes at Flemington on Saturday, preferring to go straight into the Melbourne Cup.
''Our team of vets will, of course, be across the horse [Glencadam Gold] and for that matter they will be looking at the top 35 [in the Melbourne Cup order of entry],'' chief steward Terry Bailey said.
''We will monitor all of them, as we want the field to be problem-free.''
Waterhouse has not given up hope of Glencadam Gold taking his place in the Cup and redeeming his poor Caulfield Cup effort, when he finished near the tail of the field after being sent out favourite.
Amazingly, just 24 hours after his Caulfield Cup flop, he drifted to $151 for the Melbourne Cup, with most punters assuming his spring carnival was over. When it was announced that the stable was pressing ahead to the Melbourne Cup, the imported stayer firmed into $41.
Now, with a cloud over his fitness, he has drifted to $67.
''I sent Glencadam Gold to the beach again today, he is not running Saturday,'' Waterhouse said on Wednesday.
''I'm still confident he will be there on Tuesday. He doesn't need to run again before the Melbourne Cup.''
Waterhouse has also confirmed her other imported stayer, Fiorente, would wear blinkers in the Melbourne Cup.
The former English stayer is still in quarantine at Werribee and since he has been in Australia he has been wearing blinkers in his work - a piece of gear he had never worn in Europe.
''I just think they get him to relax and focus, and has worked well,'' Waterhouse said. ''It was something we picked up on before he left [England] and it might give him an edge.''
Fiorente scored the second win of his career in the Goldsmiths Stakes at Newmarket in July - a meeting Waterhouse attended - and she was successful in buying him.
In the Newmarket race, Fiorente defeated Joshua Tree, who went on to win the group 2 Prix de Kergorlay in France and the group 1 Canadian International at Woodbine.
Last year's Melbourne Cup runner-up, Red Cadeaux, was third in the race at Newmarket.
''He was just a magnificent horse, I just had to have him,'' Waterhouse said.
The leading trainer will be represented in the Lexus Stakes by Reuben Percival, who has to win to force his way into the Cup.
Meanwhile, Sydney jockey Tommy Berry still plans to head to Flemington on Saturday to experience the atmosphere ahead of the Cup, in which he is booked to ride Glencadam Gold. While Berry is without a ride on Derby Day, he's keen to get accustomed to Flemington.
''Gai is pretty confident she'll get him there [to the Melbourne Cup],'' Berry said of Glencadam Gold.
''She doesn't want to take any chances, I guess [by running him on Saturday], and he's very fit, with his Newcastle Cup and Metropolitan runs, so fitness isn't an issue."
■Mikel Delzangles gave his Caulfield and Melbourne cups winner Dunaden the tick of approval on a flying trip to Australia on Wednesday, before heading stateside for the Breeders' Cup. The French trainer left a happy man after watching Dunaden's final gallop at Werribee.
He said Dunaden could win a second Melbourne Cup: ''I think he is better than last year but the weight is more. It will take a very high performance to win but he is very well.''
No comments:
Post a Comment