2005 October | Australia Melbourne Cup 2008 and Racing News

The ongoing will she won’t she saga continues in the lead up to next Tuesday’s $5 million Melbourne Cup at Flemington.

Two time Melbourne Cup winning mare and reigning Australian Horse of the Year, Makybe Diva worked over 2000m at Mornington on Saturday morning with trainer Lee Freedman only prepared to say, “We were pleased with her work,”

Freedman, owner Tony Santic and jockey Glen Boss have no doubt already made their decision to start the great mare on Tueday to chase an unprecedented third straight Melbourne Cup win.

If successful, Makybe Diva will have to do what no mare has done in 144 previous runnings of the greatest two mile handicap in the world.

Is she good enough to win with 58 kgs? 14 mares have tried before her to carry more than 57kgs and all have failed.

Yet another English stayer has gone amiss in the lead up to Tuesday’s $5 million Melbourne Cup at Flemington with Franklins Gardens now in serious doubt of taking his place in the Melbourne Cup field after sustaining a tendon injury at trackwork.

The Mark Tompkins trained six year old strained a tendon in his right hind leg. A final decision on whether the horse lines up in the Melbourne Cup will be made this morning.

Franklins Gardens will be the fifth withdrawal of the European raiders should he be scratched from Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.

The Godolphin team withdrew their three visitors to these shores while Carte Diamond sensationally crashed through the running rail at trackwork on Tuesday morning bringing his campaign to an end.

The Tim Martin trained Danehill colt Gonski has been sold to Darley Australia. Gonski was a $400,000 purchase at the 2004 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale. The three-year-old is a winner of two of his five starts for stakes of $166,630. The colt will race in Darley’s colours in Saturday’s Gr 1 Salinger Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.

The Cups king Bart Cummings will be chasing a sixth VRC Derby success when he saddles up pre-post favourite Pendragon in Saturday’s $1.5 million Group I, AAMI Victoria Derby. Unfortunately for Bart the barrier draw wasn’t kind to his charge with Part-owner Dato Chin Nam drawing barrier 15 at the public barrier draw at Federation Square on Wednesday.

Cummings said, “It won’t make a world of difference. They can win from anywhere. It just means he’ll (jockey Glen Boss) have to put in a better ride.” History suggests otherwise. The last Derby winner to come from barrier 15 or wider was Craftsman when he scored from gate 16 in 1963. This is sure to be a terrific betting race with a host of chances.

The Peter Moody trained Zabeel mare Vouvray will run in either the MacKinnon Stakes or the SAAB Quality on Saturday to round off her Melbourne Cup preparations.

Moody confirmed today that the mare was in need of a run after dropping right out of the Caulfield Cup.

Vouvray had been hitting the line strongly in each of her lead up races prior to the Caulfield Cup running fifth in the JJ Liston Stakes over 1400m. Fifth in the Feehan Stakes over 1600m at Moonee Valley and a ninth in the Turnbull Stakes over 2000m at Flemington.

However, the five-year-old mare failed to run on behind Railings in the Caulfield Cup after it was decided to ride the mare forward, in contrast to her regular racing pattern.

The VRC Derby winner Plastered is officially out of the 2005 Melbourne Cup with the four-year-old heading home to Perth at lunchtime today. The West Australian star will remain in the care of original trainer Lindsey Smith after a deal to purchase the horse by a syndicate formed by champion trainer Lee Freedman fell through at the 11th hour.

Smith said yesterday, “I would like to personally apologise to anyone who backed the horse to win the Melbourne Cup. I came here to win the race and I’m sorry I didn’t achieve my goal,”

“I don’t think the horse has any major problems and I am confident he will be back to win some big races.”

English stayer Carte Diamond has been ruled out of Tuesday’s $5 million Melbourne Cup after a training accident today. Working this morning on the course proper, the Brian Ellison trained English raider was being ridden by Weichong Marwing when the stirrup iron came lose as the pair were about to enter the straight.

Marwing was dislodged from Carte Diamond who then proceeded to run into the false rail. Carte Diamond suffered a severe cut to his hind leg that has brought his Melbourne Cup campaign to an untimely end.

Meanwhile, owner David Thomas confirmed today that Greg Childs would replace underfire jockey Brian Johns aboard Lad Of The Manor in Saturday’s MacKinnon Stakes. Johns received criticism from all quarters after his ride aboard Lad Of The Manor in last Saturday’s $3 million WS Cox Plate.

The pending sale of VRC Derby winner Plastered is off again after the horse failed a veterinary test yesterday. The deal was called off at the eleventh hour with the prospective buyers unwilling to part with the $1.6 million purchase price after the four-year-old failed a thorough veterinary examination at the Werribee Equine Centre.

However, the West Australian stayer will remain with new trainer Lee Freedman under the ownership of Elio Galante and Janelle Harvey. Freedman yesterday paid up for the third declaration for the Melbourne Cup with Plastered.

That Melbourne Cup start is now doubtful at best with Harvey a 60% shareholder in Plastered and her husband, jockey Paul Harvey vocal in the past week that the horse was unfit to run in the Melbourne Cup.

Hong Kong based Australian jockey Brett Prebble has picked up the ride on English stayer Carte Diamond in next Tuesday’s $5 million G1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington. Prebble will take over from Weichong Marwing who has already been booked to ride Greys Inn in the Melbourne Cup.

Trainer Brian Ellison said, “Brett comes highly recommended. The horse is in brilliant form. He’s really doing well and I can’t wait to get him to Flemington. He has picked up two gears since last week’s Caulfield Cup.”

Prebble is having a break out season in Hong Kong since teaming up with South African trainer Tony Millard. A race to race double for the Millard stable saw Prebble move into second place on the jockeys’ premiership with 12 winners.

Champion trainer Lee Freedman today paid up for two time Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva and her new stablemate Plastered to run in Tuesday’s $5 million G1 Melbourne Cup. Only 37 horses were paid up at today’s third declaration. The Melbourne Cup Order Of Entry is listed below with final declarations for the Melbourne Cup to be declared at 5.00pm on Saturday.

Melbourne Cup Order Of Entry as at October 24:

HORSE, AGE, SEX & TRAINER
1 MAKYBE DIVA (GB) 7M Lee Freedman
2 VINNIE ROE (IRE) 8H Dermot Weld
3 GREYS INN (USA) 5H Mike de Kock
4 DISTINCTION (IRE) 7G Michael Stoute
5 RAILINGS 4G John Hawkes
6 PLASTERED 4G Lee Freedman
7 HOLLOW BULLET 4M John McArdle
8 XCELLENT (NZ) 4G Michael Moroney
9 DIZELLE 4M John Hawkes
10 FRANKLINS GARDENS (GB) 6H M Tompkins
11 EYE POPPER (JPN) 6H Izumi Shimizu
12 PORTLAND SINGA (NZ) 6M Neville McBurney
13 VOUVRAY (NZ) 5M Peter G Moody
14 DEMERGER 5M Danny O’Brien
15 IRISH DARLING 4M Tony Vasil
16 SIR DEX 5G Gregory Hickman
17 LACHLAN RIVER (NZ) 4G John Morrisey
18 BAZELLE (NZ) 6M Paul Jenkins
19 CARTE DIAMOND (USA) 5H Brian Ellison
20 KINDJHAL (FR) 6H David Hayes
21 HUGS DANCER (FR) 9G David Hayes
22 SWIFT TANGO (IRE) 6G David Hayes
23 LEICA FALCON 4G Richard Freyer
24 UMBULA 6G Mick Price
25 ON A JEUNE 5G Peter Montgomerie
26 DON RAPHAEL 6G Kerry Parker
27 RIZON 6G Cliff Brown
28 ENVOY (NZ) 7G Ken Kelso
29 ZACIELO (NZ) 6G Peter G Moody
30 KAMSKY 4G Bart Cummings
31 SARRERA 5G Michael Moroney
32 SPECIAL SCENE 7G Dan O’Sullivan
Not yet fully qualified
33 CONFECTIONER 5G David Hayes
34 STRASBOURG 6G Bart Cummings
35 MR CELEBRITY (NZ) 5G Gai Waterhouse
36 LESTER THUNDERWING 7G Ken Keys
37 COMMAND ‘N CONQUER (NZ) 6G Chris Wood