A capacity field of 18 starters plus four emergencies has been accepted for Saturday’s Caulfield Cup 2014 field at Caulfield Racecourse.
2012 Melbourne Cup winner will look to go back-to-back for connections of last year’s champ in the Caulfield Cup on Saturday. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.
The $3 million Group 1 Crown Golden Ale Caulfield Cup (2400m) is the richest handicap over that distance in the world and this year features four international raiders.
Leading the Caulfield Cup field and weights is one of those, the Japanese-trained Admire Rakti to be ridden by Zac Purton on 58kg.
The Heart’s Cry seven-year-old is out to improve on a distant 13th last time out in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (3200m) and hasn’t won a race since the Group 3 Diamond Stakes (3419m) at Tokyo in February last year.
Japan is dually represented in the Caulfield Cup field this year too, the first time since 2006 the country has had a runner in the race, with Bande carrying 56.5kg with French hoop Christophe Lemaire riding.
Yoshito Yahagi’s Authorized stallion is one of the best backed in Caulfield Cup betting at Ladbrokes.com.au after an all-the-way five length victory in a black-type back home over 2600m in early August.
The other two internationals in the mix are then the Marco Botti-trained stable mates Dandino (57kg) and Seismos (56kg).
Craig Williams’ mount Dandino was narrow runner-up to Fawkner in the race last year and returns in 2014 on the back of a fourth to Prince Bishop in the Group 3 September Stakes (2400m) last month.
Seismos meanwhile debuts down under on the weekend, the Dalakhani seven-year-old coming off a narrow win in the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2700m) from August 16.
Last year’s winning trainer Robert Hickmott and owner Lloyd Williams meanwhile will go for back-to-back Caulfield Cups with Green Moon and Sea Moon both making the cut.
Winner of the 2012 Melbourne Cup, Green Moon kicked off his season when sixth in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 13 but lost credibility when a distant 15th in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) back at the track at the start of the month.
Sea Moon meanwhile ran fifth last start in just his second run since a 13th to Fiorente in last year’s Melbourne Cup, beaten just over three and a half lengths in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2520m) on October 4.
The last start conquerors of both of Hickmott’s 2014 Caulfield Cup hopes are also backing up on Saturday.
Turnbull Stakes winning mare Lucia Valentina is the clear $4.80 favourite in the updated Caulfield Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au as she looks to become the first to complete the Turnbull Stakes – Caulfield Cup double since Elvstroem (2004) a decade ago.
The Bart Cummings winner Who Shot Thebarman then will be ridden by Glen Boss for the third time on the trot, the Yamanin Vital six-year-old after his third straight win.
The Group 1 winning New Zealand import is also one of four in the mix for Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller.
Waller shoots for his maiden Caulfield Cup success this year and has also accepted for The Metropolitan winner Junoob, Craven Plate champ Moriarty and former Queensland Derby winner Hawkspur.
Some of the other big name Caulfield Cup acceptors then include Gai Waterhouse’s Sydney Cup winner The Offer who holds favouritism for the 2014 Melbourne Cup next month, ATC Oaks winner Rising Romance and last weekend’s Herbert Power Stakes champ Big Memory on the short back-up and getting in on the 52kg minimum.
See below for the full Caulfield Cup 2014 field, weights and jockeys.
The official 2014 Caulfield Cup barrier draw will be conducted from 5:30pm (AEDT) this afternoon so stay tuned.
In the meantime get behind your early selections at the hottest odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of the $3 million Megapick that you can clean up in from as little as a $3 punt!
2014 Caulfield Cup Field & Weights
Caulfield Race 9 – 18/10/2014
| # |
FORM (LAST 10) |
HORSE |
TRAINER |
JOCKEY |
BR. |
WGT. |
HCP. RATING |
| 1 |
0x4240x20x |
ADMIRE RAKTI (JPN) |
Tomoyuki Umeda |
Zac Purton |
0 |
58kg |
113 |
| 2 |
21x25x6624 |
DANDINO (GB) |
Marco Botti |
Craig Williams |
0 |
57kg |
110 |
| 3 |
990x427x60 |
GREEN MOON (IRE) |
Robert Hickmott |
Chad Schofield |
0 |
57kg |
111 |
| 4 |
x00210x8x5 |
SEA MOON (GB) |
Robert Hickmott |
Steven Arnold |
0 |
57kg |
108 |
| 5 |
613x133x1x |
BANDE (IRE) |
Yoshito Yahagi |
Christophe Lemaire |
0 |
56.5kg |
110 |
| 6 |
x63111x596 |
THE OFFER (IRE) |
Gai Waterhouse |
Tommy Berry |
0 |
56.5kg |
110 |
| 7 |
30x10x641x |
SEISMOS (IRE) |
Marco Botti |
Craig Newitt |
0 |
56kg |
109 |
| 8 |
3440×75140 |
HAWKSPUR |
Chris Waller |
Damien Oliver |
0 |
55.5kg |
110 |
| 9 |
31143×8611 |
JUNOOB (GB) |
Chris Waller |
Douglas Whyte |
0 |
55.5kg (inc. 1.5kg penalty) |
110 |
| 10 |
55512×5561 |
MORIARTY (IRE) |
Chris Waller |
Michael Rodd |
0 |
55kg |
107 |
| 11 |
12119×0711 |
WHO SHOT THEBARMAN (NZ) |
Chris Waller |
Glen Boss |
0 |
55kg (inc. 1.5kg penalty) |
107 |
| 12 |
x3008x5217 |
DEAR DEMI |
Clarry Conners |
Jim Cassidy |
0 |
54.5kg |
109 |
| 13 |
x0x623x175 |
STIPULATE (GB) |
David Hayes & Tom Dabernig |
Dwayne Dunn |
0 |
54kg |
104 |
| 14 |
x7190x5442 |
LIDARI (FR) |
Peter G Moody |
TBA |
0 |
53.5kg |
105 |
| 15 |
2x3013x161 |
LUCIA VALENTINA (NZ) |
Kris Lees |
Kerrin McEvoy |
0 |
53kg |
110 |
| 16 |
312241×472 |
RISING ROMANCE (NZ) |
Donna Logan |
James McDonald |
0 |
53kg |
105 |
| 17 |
221210×281 |
BIG MEMORY (FR) |
Tony McEvoy |
Corey Brown |
0 |
52kg |
100 |
| 18 |
7x128x6710 |
GRIS CARO (GB) |
Jake Stephens |
Joao Moreira |
0 |
52kg |
101 |
| 19e |
11×4088213 |
BRAMBLES (NZ) |
Peter G Moody |
TBA |
0 |
53.5kg |
105 |
| 20e |
4x0313x763 |
ARALDO (GB) |
Michael Moroney |
TBA |
0 |
53kg |
100 |
| 21e |
8241×83439 |
UNCHAIN MY HEART |
David Hayes & Tom Dabernig |
TBA |
0 |
52kg |
98 |
| 22e |
1x8x47x630 |
RENEW (IRE) |
Marco Botti |
TBA |
0 |
52kg |
89 |