The Melbourne Cup 2007 Update !

[DUFFYS]

A clip and a chat for Cup fancy Mahler31/10/2007 7:05 PMBy Mike Hedge

Ireland's remaining Melbourne Cup prospect Mahler has been booked in for a haircut and some counselling in a bid to have him at his best for next Tuesday's big race.
Mahler's trainer Aidan O'Brien saw the horse in action for the first time in two weeks at Sandown and later demonstrated the attention to detail that has made him Ireland's - and the world's - leading trainer.
O'Brien wasn't entirely happy with Mahler's progress and was especially concerned at the horse's inability to relax.
The horse also sweated profusely after performing only light work, prompting O'Brien to order the clipping of the winter coat he'd started to grow before leaving home.
"He was a bit anxious and a bit hairy," he said.
"So we'll clip him for the hairy part.
"And over the next few days we might get a vibe that he's going the right way and it's starting to come together.
"We've only got a short time to do it, so we'll see."
Mahler went through his usual routine of two short canters with O'Brien beside him every step of the way in a car.
From his close quarters the trainer decided the horse's major problem was anxiety - a condition he is now likely to be sharing with the punters who backed him last week from $26 to $11.
Part of the problem, O'Brien said, may be that Mahler's exercise companion Scorpion no longer joins him for trackwork after being injured earlier this week.
"He had a lead horse and now he's gone. That could have caused him a bit of anxiety today," O'Brien said.
"He just took a little bit more out of himself than he should have.
"You want to see him relaxing and just chilling out a little bit."
O'Brien will introduce Mahler's jockey Stephen Baster to him on Thursday, but he won't let the pair become too well acquainted.
Baster probably won't ride the horse until Cup day, just in case another change of routine is too much for the horse.
"He will sit in with us and just chat and talk," O'Brien said.
"The reason we don't want Stephen to ride him is that the horse has a good bit to overcome at the moment.
"But we'd like Stephen to see him."
The other internationals, Purple Moon and Tungsten Strike, both had gentle workouts at Sandown today and along with Mahler they are likely to do their final Cup gallops on Friday.
Mahler is now third favourite for the Melbourne Cup at $9 with TAB Sportsbet which has Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilly at the top of the market at $4.50 and Purple Moon at $7.50.

Source: AAP

[DUFFYS]

Douro set to step out of Master's shadow31/10/2007 7:05 PMBy Mandy Cottell

Trainer Danny O'Brien can strengthen his grip on Tuesday's Melbourne Cup when underrated gelding Douro Valley has his final lead-up in Saturday's Group One Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington.
The six-year-old has been largely forgotten in the build up to Australia's most famous race despite beating all but stablemate Master O'Reilly in the Caulfield Cup.
While the latter is the $4.80 Melbourne Cup favourite, Douro Valley is a $26 chance and O'Brien doesn't believe there is that much between them.
"Master O'Reilly obviously deserves to be favourite but the horse closest to Master O'Reilly in the Caulfield Cup was Douro Valley," O'Brien said.
"He's over the odds. A lot of horses who finished behind him in the Caulfield Cup are shorter than him in the markets.
"He's in the best form of his career this campaign and he'll be competitive."
Douro Valley has missed a cheque just once in five starts this campaign and scored a tough victory over subsequent Yalumba Stakes winner Maldivian in last month's Naturalism Stakes.
He is one of 10 Cup contenders stepping out in the Mackinnon along with the likes of Miss Finland, Maybe Better, Zipping and Princess Coup.
When asked what he wanted to see Douro Valley do on Saturday from a Melbourne Cup perspective, O'Brien didn't beat around the bush.
"I'm hoping he wins. He's done really well since the Caulfield Cup. He's in great shape," he said.
The Mackinnon (2000m) has been a traditional lead-up to Tuesday's 3200m showpiece, although that trend hasn't been as marked in recent years.
Rogan Josh in 1999 was the last Melbourne Cup winner to contest both races and he claimed the double.
While Douro Valley will sport silks at Flemington, Master O'Reilly will be home in his stable with O'Brien planning to give him one more serious workout before the Cup.
"He'll gallop on Saturday morning and that's all he needs now," O'Brien said.
"I was really pleased to see him win the Caulfield Cup but his aim has always been the Melbourne Cup.
"He's really ready to go and I'm just counting down the days until Tuesday."
One Mackinnon runner not on the Cup trail is El Segundo.
The Colin Little-trained six-year-old was the toast of Moonee Valley last Saturday with his brilliant win in the Cox Plate.
He is the early $3 favourite for the Mackinnon but will have to overcome a Flemington hoodoo to justify the punters' faith.
El Segundo has raced four times at the track with his best result a second to Bel Danoro in the 2006 Aurie's Star Stakes and he was a well-beaten fourth to Desert War when sent out favourite in the Mackinnon 12 months ago.
He will face a rematch with four of his Cox Plate rivals - Haradasun (third), Miss Finland (fourth), Devil Moon (fifth) and Zipping (eighth).

Source: AAP

[DUFFYS]

Melbourne Cup jigsaw coming together01/11/2007 7:12 PMBy Caryl Williamson and Mike Hedge

The final jostling for positions in the Melbourne Cup field takes place at Flemington on Saturday.
If Best Beware can win the Victoria Derby the three-year-old will definitely take his place in the 24-horse Cup field on Tuesday while the winner of the Saab Quality is also guaranteed a spot.
Best Beware is the only three-year-old left in the Cup and needs to win Saturday's 2500m blue riband while nine of the 13 runners in the Saab will be trying to cement their claims.
Among them is the Anthony Cummings-trained Zavite who is currently 30th in the elimination order.
Cummings was hoping he might be able to bypass the Saab and wait for some of those already in the top 24 to drop out but that risk is now too great.
"I had hoped the field might fall away but the ones above him that won't run have already dropped out so he has to run in the Saab and win it," Cummings said.
If he can make the field, Zavite will be Cummings' first Melbourne Cup runner while his father Bart will be aiming for his 12th win in the race with Sirmione who runs in Saturday's Mackinnon Stakes (2000m).
The Mackinnon is a race Bart Cummings has used as a Cup lead-in many times over the years and he trained the last horse to do the double when Rogan Josh completed the feat in 1999.
Other Cup aspirants in the Mackinnon include Miss Finland who will have to perform at her best to warrant starting in Australia's most famous race.
The favourite for last Saturday's Cox Plate, Miss Finland seemed to have lost her dash when fourth to El Segundo.
Cup favourite Master O'Reilly won't be running on Saturday, nor will second and third favourites Purple Moon and Mahler.
English horse Purple Moon is unlikely to have another hard gallop before Tuesday while Irish hope Mahler will get acquainted with his race rider Stephen Baster at the Sandown quarantine centre on Friday.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien had been concerned with Mahler after seeing him exercise for the first time in two weeks on Wednesday.
Mahler sweated heavily after only light work and was far from relaxed during his training.
The trainer duly ordered the winter coat that the horse had begun to grow before leaving Ireland to be clipped and for a few subtle changes to be made to his routine.
"I'm much happier today, he relaxed well, he wasn't tense like yesterday," O'Brien said.
So pleased was O'Brien with the improvement in Mahler's attitude that he decided to put Baster on him for his final piece of fast work on Friday.
The trainer had been wary about allowing Baster to familiarise himself with the horse, fearing it may cause the highly-strung Mahler more anxiety.
But after calling Baster to Sandown to watch the horse exercise, he was as happy with the rider as he was with his horse.
"It was very important to have him here this morning," O'Brien said.
"He could see what we were doing and how we were thinking.
"I'd say he's a very bright fellow, a very sharp fellow."
The third member of the international team, Tungsten Strike, had two canters this morning and is likely to gallop on Friday in his final piece of serious work

[DUFFYS]

Morton happy for Scenic to back up01/11/2007 7:12 PMBy Mark Ryan

Trainer Daniel Morton is happy to forget Scenic Shot's Caulfield Cup failure and give him another chance in Saturday's Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington and, all going well, Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.
The West Australian five-year-old went forward contrary to his usual racing pattern and weakened to run tenth to Master O'Reilly in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 20.
But on Saturday he comes back to the same track and distance that he handled so well in the Turnbull Stakes when runner-up by a long head at $101 to Mackinnon rival Devil Moon.
In that race he finished three lengths clear of the third-placed Haradasun who is the Mackinnon favourite.
"The Caulfield Cup just didn't pan out for us," Morton said.
"We over-committed to going forward which was a little bit outside his normal pattern of racing and it didn't work.
"The pace was pretty hot, but if he can get back to the form he was in he should be pretty competitive.
"I think he'll race well. He'll probably come back off the speed and if he can get onto the back of something to take him into the straight, something that's going to keep going, he'll run some sort of a race."
Top WA jockey William Pike takes the mount on Scenic Shot in the Mackinnon, while Mark Zahra will ride him in the Melbourne Cup.
"He's very fit now. He ran pretty well in the Perth Cup (fourth to Respect), he's got a year's maturity under his belt and he's been trained more so for the distance (3200m) this time in.
"So if he gets through Saturday alright, I'll be expecting him to run a good race in it (the Melbourne Cup)."
Scenic Shot will jump from barrier 12 on Saturday with the scratching of Cox Plate winner El Segundo.
He will drop from 59kg under the weight-for-age conditions of the Mackinnon to 52.5kg in the Melbourne Cup after the weights are raised 0.5kg.
With topweight Scorpion (58.5kg) not to run in the Cup, Tawqeet, originally weighted to carry 56.5kg, will now carry the minimum topweight of 57kg.
The David Hayes-trained Tawqeet, who ran his best race so far this spring when fifth in the Caulfield Cup, drew barrier one in the Mackinnon while stablemate Miss Finland, fourth in the Cox Plate, fared badly and has to jump from 13 with only Annenkov drawn wider.
Hayes has taken the winkers off and added blinkers again to Tawqeet, while Miss Finland has a norton bit on for the first time and winkers off again.
The leading trainer believes Miss Finland has been too aggressive early in her races and her performance on Saturday will determine whether she takes her place in the Cup.
Cox Plate placegetter Haradasun is $3.20 favourite with TAB Sportsbet for the Mackinnon ahead of Miss Finland at $4, Devil Moon ($5.50), three-year-old colt Pillar Of Hercules ($11), Princess Coup and Zipping at $13 and Douro Valley next best at $15.
Scenic Shot is at $21 while Tawqeet is at $26.

Source: AAP

[Racingbookshop]

Hey Duffy! What happened to the daily updates? It's nearly race time and I was hoping for an update on the going? Tungsten Strike wants it fast if he's to make the frame. I'll put my virtual tenner each-way on him at 33-1. Good luck with your local knowledge picking out Blue Monday...he's around the same price with the bookies over here. If it wins you can quote your previous postings and become ebid's international tipster?

[Racingbookshop]

RESULT....The race was won by Efficient who just got the better of Purple Moon and Mahler denying a British win. As for Tungsten Strike....umm well he made the running and then dropped away to finish last! According to his jockey "the occasion may have got to him" (well, that and the other 20 horses!). Haven't located Blue Monday yet.

[DUFFYS]

Blue Monday ran about 7th,
Gee that Mahler is a real good horse,he will be anything,
Aiden O'Brien came across as a very nice man,he is a great trainer,
to get a horse so young and run the race he did ,was a super effort.regards
regards
Bernard

[DUFFYS]

AUSSIE CYCLING FORUM

This is now up and running,
regards
Bernard

[DUFFYS]

Guess What Folks
The Melbourne Cup 1st Entries come out in June.
we will be a busy sorting out all the Gee Gee's,
Just love it Folks we will have a special Melbourne Cup 2008
Thread up with all the local goss from Melbourne, and all the markets.
One i have been watching is Red Lord, Nice run in the Sydney Cup,not far off the winner over the 3200 mtr Trip.
Lets see if we can get Big Odds in the early markets .
So watch this Space ok,
Also we will be putting a special Melborne cup link on
my Aussie Cycling Forum.

AUSSIE CYCLING FORUM
It is all Happening Folks keep Intouch.
and Plenty of Winners.