The Caulfield Cup meeting will be held at Caulfield this Saturday. The course proper was rated a Good 3 on Thursday and with showers forecast for Melbourne leading up to the weekend, Caulfield would be racing on a Soft track on raceday.
The Everest winning combination of Team Snowden and Kerrin McEvoy will again team-up on Saturday and this time on 3YO Almighty in the Polytrack Gothic Stakes (Melbourne Race 2, 1400m). This Exceed And Excel colt has been very consistent and has never missed a place from four career starts. First up over 1400m on Saturday will suit. In a race without much pace, McEvoy will take Almighty forward from barrier 6 and Almighty could prove hard to catch.
Macedon Lodge-owned Assign will have conditions to suit in the Coongy Cup (Melbourne Race 5, 2000m). This good class stayer is good enough to contest last year’s Melbourne Cup even though he finished down the track after drawing a very wide barrier. Assign didn’t do a lot 1st up this Spring over an unsuitable short distance. Last start over a more suitable trip (2000m) in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes, the gelding finished a commendable 4th behind the mighty Winx. Down in class on Saturday but will only carry 58kg, which is only 4kg above the limit. The 7YO also likes Caulfield having won twice with a 2nd from 5 starts at the venue. Champion hoop Hugh Bowman will take over the rein from Katelyn Mallyon and that’s another plus. Nicely drawn in barrier 4, Bowman will settle just behind the speed and Assign will be the one they all have to beat.
Bonneval was my original top pick for this year’s Caulfield Cup until she drawn wide in barrier 14. Meanwhile Irish invader Johannes Vermeer has drawn perfectly in barrier 2 and he is now the horse to beat in the Caulfield Cup (Melbourne Race 8, 2400m). The 5YO shown that he has no problem in handling the tricky Caulfield track by running a close 2nd, coming from a fair way back in the Caulfield Stakes (2000m) last week. Trainer Aidan O’Brien is of the opinion that Johannes Vermeer will have no problem backing up this weekend. And stepping up to 2400m will suit the 5YO even better. Ben Melham will be able to settle the gelding mid-field on the fence from barrier 2. With fair pace in the race, Johannes Vermeer will be hard to hold out.
By Owens Wong, Editor
