2007 August | Australia Melbourne Cup 2008 and Racing News

The Group 2 Warwick Stakes runs this Saturday in a weekend that includes no less than five major races and diverse betting opportunities.

Each race features an exciting field of Spring Carnival hopefuls. Watch out for:
Fiumicino, Racing To Win, Arlington, Shaft and Meurice, all of who are out to win in this lead up race to the season’s premier events.

Symptoms of equine influenza were detected last week in Japan. Shadow Gate and Tosho Knight both preparing to race in Melbourne this spring may not be able to enter Australia.

All race meetings in Japan were cancelled at the weekend. Initial tests on horses revealed 29 of 163 had signs of influenza. One was found to have a fever.

The horses will be tested on arrival to Australia and if there is any suspicion of equine flu the horses would remain in quarantine until clear.

Japanese horses Delta Blues, last year’s Melbourne Cup winner, and Pop Rock have not been exposed to the influenza.

Australia’s favourite horse and three time Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva has given birth to a foal by the English Derby winner Galileo. She will be served by Encosta De Lago this spring.

Makybe Diva won three successive Melbourne Cups from 2003 to 2005 and is Australasia’s greatest stakes earner with more than $14.5 million in prize money.

It’s all top contenders to the gates this Saturday when Caulfield hosts the Group 2 J.J. Liston Stakes. Many punters expect the meeting to provide valuable insights to the Spring Carnival feature races, including the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

Look out for high caliber horses such as Pompeii Ruler, Marasco, Maybe Better, Efficient and Apache Cat who stand out in this quality field.