For the second year in a row Chris Waller will be gang tackling the Melbourne Cup with five runners and with what assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth says is an is an even squad.
Duckworth said obviously he could make a case for the three horses who are high in the betting which are Buckaroo, Valiant King and River Of Stars but he’s not dismissing the outsiders, Land Legend and More Felons.
“It’s awesome we have five runners and you can genuinely make a case for each of them. I’m thinking about the post-race interview and sometimes you struggle to find a reason why they won but I can for each of them. It will be easy,” he told Racing.com
“It’s an exciting position to be in. We’re privileged.”
Duckworth said in evaluating their barriers draws which were Buckaroo (12), Valiant King (10), River Of Stars (14), Land Legend (16) and More Felons (23) it might not matter on the day.
“If the rain comes, the track may play completely differently,” Duckworth said.
DUCKWORTH ON THE QUINTET
Buckaroo
“He’s the risk horse. He’s a genuine weight-for-age horse and we could have run over 2000m on the Saturday but we’ve opted to run in the 3200m handicap which after last year is still unknown as he raced so wide and covered so much extra ground. We don’t actually know whether he’s a genuine two miler or is he so genuine he always tries his heart out. It’s good to see him draw 10 so as long as he can get an economical run so he can be ridden to see out the two miles. We’ll be trying to win the race over the last 200 metres.”
Valiant King
“He’ll relish the two miles and he’ll be improved even more over that distance. He’ll appreciate a solid tempo as he did when he won The Bart Cummings. When he took he absorbed the pressure and took off. He’ll be the crowd pleaser if the rain comes. He’ll plough through the wet.
River Of Stars
“She’s been flying under the radar. She needed the distance to be competitive. She loves the wet and the distance. She’s got a nice draw and weight. She’s a genuine hope.”
Land Legend
“He’s the only one with a blemish. He was only beaten three lengths last year and he over-raced. He did things wrong. He’s a better horse this year, he’s more settled. He worked well this morning. Last start was a total disaster. He sat three wide and was last and covered excess ground. He’s capable of bouncing back. We know he stays.”
More Felons
“He’s a genuine two miler. We know he stays. He’s won over the jumps. His run in the Metropolitan was great as he carried a big weight and his last 600m was great. He flew home. He’s a sneaky chance. The draw is going to be tricky.”
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