Flemington’s festival of the punt, its week-long celebration of the thoroughbred, comes to an end on Saturday.
The Melbourne Cup carnival draws to a close and once again an international flyer makes doing the form difficult.
The raiders have claimed Australasian racing’s big three already. The Japanese stayer Admire Ratki won the Cualfield Cup, the Irish youngster Adelaide took out the Cox Plate and Protectionist waltzed off with the Melbourne Cup.
Now what about the barrier rogue Slade Power? The Irish sprinter lines up in Saturday’s Darley Stakes down the famed Flemington straight.
Up for grabs is Group 1 honours and 12 locals are primed to repel the Irish flyer. Heading markets is the Team Hawkes-trained, untapped sprinter, Chautauqua who has made it look easy winning twice over the course and distance since resuming.
What about Lankan Rupee? In the autumn the Mick Price-trained galloper was declared the best sprinter in the world when ruthlessly winning the Newmarket Handicap, the toughest sprint on the Down Under calendar, which is run over the Darley Stakes course.
Lankan Rupee dented the reputation this time round but showed plenty of grit to win the group 1 Manikato Stakes last time out.
It was a rough house affair and the Hawkesbury-trained sprinter Famous Seamus struck trouble and may well have won had it obtained clear running.
Last year’s Darley winner, the mighty Queenslander Buffering, the horse that diced with equine freak Black Caviar, comes out of the Manikato and is never to be under-estimated.
Now Slade Power, a six-year-old winner of ten from 19, arrives in peak form. A winner of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and Darley July Cup Slade Power goes to the start having won Europe’s two biggest sprints.
The problem being will the stallion get out of the barriers? Connections wanted Slade Power loaded last but Racing Victoria officials wouldn’t have a bar of it.
Slade Power doesn’t like the barriers but will be the fourth of 13 to be loaded. Should make for an interesting few minutes.
Anyway, the Darley looks to be a cracker and the Emirates Stakes, the final group 1 for the carnival at Flemington, is a ripper as well.
Trainer John O’Shea is out to claim his first group 1 for the Godolphin giant. O’Shea will saddle up Contributer which looked good winning at Caulfield.
Contributer had done all its racing in the northern hemisphere and first time out for O’Shea showed a slick turn of foot to win over 2000m.
O’Shea’s team thought about running Contributer in last Saturday’s Mackinnon Stakes but felt the handicap conditions of the Emirates suited better.
The South Australian Hucklebuck appears to be finally realising the potential having won two from two this time in work. This is a test.
Hooked made up for a luckless third placing in the Epsom by winning the Crystal Mile at Moonee Valley last time out. Trainer John Thompson has Hooked primed for this.
Then you’ve got the people’s horse The Cleaner. The Tasmanian front runner found the opposition to strong in the Cox Plate but he’ll make sure this is a stern test.
DARLEY CLASSIC TOP FOUR
FAMOUS SEAMUS 1, Chautauqua 2, Slade Power 3, Lankee Rupee 4.
EMIRATES TOP FOUR
CONTRIBUTER 1, Hooked 2, The Cleaner 3, Hucklebuck 4.
BEST BET OF THE DAY
Flemington race 5: BIG MEMORY
By Craig Young
