Why wet weather could cause havoc as Cup day forecast revealed<\/a><\/p>\n2. TRUSTYOURINSTINCT (18)<\/p>\n
$7 \/ $2.50<\/p>\n
T: Joseph O\u2019Brien; J: James McDonald<\/p>\n
The same applies with this gelding – he\u2019s got the O\u2019Brien touch. He won the Curragh Cup over 2816m in Ireland in July, then ran fourth in the Irish St Leger over the same trip. That\u2019s one of the top staying races in Europe, and although both races had small fields, you can guarantee the quality would have been good. Things operate a bit differently there to here. Mind you, I\u2019d still have liked him to have some form in big fields, but again, if O\u2019Brien\u2019s brought him here, he\u2019s the right type for this race. But the big plus for this horse is his rider – the legendary J Mac. What a gun. What more can you say about him, except I\u2019m proud that he\u2019s a Kiwi like myself. He\u2019s probably the best jockey in the world, and he\u2019s on the crest of a wave at the moment – riding some great horses, and winning plenty of big races, such as two of the three Group 1s at Flemington on Saturday. That confidence flows from your heart and mind into your hands and into your horse. Mind you, this horse is going to need all of J Mac\u2019s polish from his wide gate, but he so rarely rides a bad race that you\u2019d back him to find a position. He\u2019s so calm and composed – and smart. Of all of O\u2019Brien\u2019s five runners, this bloke is the shortest in the market by some way. Trust your instincts? Trust the bookies to know what they\u2019re talking about. It\u2019s a tricky gate but again, you couldn\u2019t rule him out. Plus he handles wet or dry.<\/p>\n
3. KNIGHT\u2019S CHOICE (2)<\/p>\n
$34 \/ $9.25<\/p>\n
T: John Symonds & Shiela Laxon; J: Robbie Dolan<\/p>\n
A few things stick out about this gelding. The first is that he\u2019s won this race before, in 2024. He was a bolter then at $91 odds, but he\u2019s proven he can get the trip, which is a big head start. As I\u2019ve said, riding in the Cup is all about getting your horse to settle into a rhythm and travel smoothly. If you\u2019re fighting it to settle down the whole way, the horse is losing energy. And that\u2019s what Robbie Dolan did with this horse in 2024. There were a lot of doubts about him staying the two miles, but Robbie just put them him to sleep near the back, and then he was ready with his finishing sprint when it was needed. Barrier two is an obvious plus for that aim. I had it when I won on Might And Power. He was different in that we led all the way – winning a Melbourne Cup that way shows what a great horse he was – but the point is I could just flop out and get my spot from barrier two, and so can Robbie. The horse is in good hands with John Symonds and my fellow Kiwi Shiela Laxon, who\u2019s won the race twice now after also training Ethereal to win in 2001. His Caulfield Cup run wasn\u2019t good, but he was a good third in the Herbert Power over 2400m before that. So while his form is patchy, he\u2019s still showing there\u2019s something there despite being seven years old. Also his best form is on dry tracks, though he has won on soft. You can\u2019t rule them out if they\u2019ve won a Melbourne Cup, and I\u2019m definitely not putting a line through this one.<\/p>\n
4. MIDDLE EARTH (1)<\/p>\n
$12 \/ $4.20<\/p>\n
T: Ciaron Maher; J: Mark Zahra<\/p>\n
How good is Ciaron Maher going? He\u2019s just about the biggest and best trainer in Australia, and he\u2019s got seven horses in this race. SEVEN! That\u2019s a record for a trainer. And as a jockey, I\u2019d say a big pointer to what he thinks of this horse is that he\u2019s put Mark Zahra on him. Mark is such a great rider, and he\u2019s riding every bit as well as any jockey at the carnival – even as good as J Mac. Mark\u2019s also strong, confident, smart and deliberate, which are great attributes for a rider. And when you\u2019ve got Mark Zahra from barrier one, that sounds like a golden recipe. This horse turned in a great run in coming third in the Cup last year. So he\u2019s got that big tick of knowing he can get the trip. Mark will need to have his wits about him to watch out for tiring horses falling back on him and getting in his way, but the way Melbourne Cups work should help him: tiring horses can tend to roll away from the rail as they get the staggers, so Mark might get a saloon passage up the inside, and might not have to go around a horse, unlike last year when he came wide after drawing gate 13. He should also be able to possy up in the first third of the field, so shouldn\u2019t encounter too much traffic. This horse turned in a nice Melbourne Cup trial in the Caulfield Cup. He ran ninth but he was just plugging away quietly like he wanted the extra 800m. Forget his run in the Cox Plate after that, which Maher will have used to top up his fitness. Handles soft and good going. Big chance. <\/p>\n
Melb Cup Jockey won’t ride till race day | 00:59<\/p>\n
5. VAUBAN (22)<\/p>\n
$41 \/ $12<\/p>\n
T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott; J: Jordan Childs<\/p>\n
This bloke is in the hands of a great trainer in Gai Waterhouse, who I had a lot of success with, and her co-trainer Adrian Bott. It\u2019s his fourth go in the Cup, and while he didn\u2019t show much in his first two, he ran much better last year when he was sixth. You know he can get the trip, because apart from that he won up to 3319m in England before he moved here. But he\u2019s a nine-year-old now, and they don\u2019t win the Cup. Plus he\u2019s not travelling well, if you look at his run in the Geelong Cup last start, when he ran ninth. Too many nines! He\u2019s got a good rider, but he\u2019s drawn badly in 22. Rain would help his chances, but he\u2019s not one of mine.<\/p>\n
6. ENFJAAR (8)<\/p>\n
$21 \/ $6<\/p>\n
T: Roger Varian; J: Ray Dawson<\/p>\n
Another raider from the British Isles and he\u2019s got decent form. I liked his third in the Caulfield Cup, even though he was suited by how the race was run. There was no pace on and he was travelling in the first few, so he had plenty in the tank in the home straight to make it hard for those behind to catch up to him, but still he hit the line well. He\u2019s got some good form from Britain, including a win in a 2414m Group 3 race at the big Goodwood carnival at his last start before Caulfield. A Group 3 staying race there is good form for a Group 1 staying race here. He\u2019s with a top trainer in Roger Varian, and I hear good things about his jockey, who rode him well enough in the Caulfield Cup, and he\u2019s got a good gate to find a handy spot. What I like about this horse as opposed to some other foreign raiders is that he\u2019s at least had a run here. I prefer that to these other Europeans who come here and go straight into a Melbourne Cup, which is a big ask. He\u2019s also performed on good and soft going back home. He hasn\u2019t won past 2414m, so there\u2019s always that doubt he\u2019ll get 3200m, but his trainer obviously thinks he will. So I wouldn\u2019t talk anyone out of backing this one either.<\/p>\n
7. ROYAL SUPREMACY (21)<\/p>\n
$41 \/ $12<\/p>\n
T: Ciaron Maher; J: Ben Allen<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s another one of Ciaron Maher\u2019s but he\u2019s probably not in his best few chances – or his best six. His run in the Caulfield Cup was poor, when he set the pace, and it wasn\u2019t strong, but he still didn\u2019t fire a shot in the home straight and ran 15th. Ciaron\u2019s a great trainer, but he\u2019s not a magician. This horse would have to improve dramatically to trouble the scorers. What\u2019s worse is he has gate 21. However, he is unbeaten from two starts on heavy going, if it hoses down, and has fair form on the soft.<\/p>\n
8. WINE DARK SEA (23)<\/p>\n
$41 \/ $12<\/p>\n
T: Harry Charlton; J: Damian Lane<\/p>\n
Another English raider who has had that important warm up run in the Caulfield Cup, and brings good form after winning the Freer Stakes at Newbury in England, a 2671m race which is often used as a lead-up to a Melbourne Cup trip. He\u2019s got Damian Lane aboard, who\u2019s not only a great rider but a great big race rider. Some jockeys are just so reliable when it matters most, and Damo\u2019s one of those. They think clearly and calmly, and don\u2019t let the occasion get to them. So that\u2019s a big plus. One major minus though is that he\u2019s got gate 23, so that\u2019ll set Damian a big task. It\u2019s not impossible, but the key is that you\u2019ve got to be positive from the start; you can\u2019t um and ah. Get away from the gates positively, then – it might be after 20 metres or 100 metres – size up if you need to go forward to get in, hopefully one off the rail, or go back. It\u2019s usually preferable to go back and save petrol, because you\u2019re gonna need it at the end. But at the back, you know there\u2019ll be a lot of good chances ahead of you. I came from the back to win on Kiwi, but he was a great stayer and thankfully the runs opened up. The other worry with this horse is his Caulfield Cup run wasn\u2019t great, fading out to finish 11th, even though he had to work hard. So that doesn\u2019t scream at you that gate 23 isn\u2019t a big handicap. He\u2019s also unproven in the wet. I\u2019m looking elsewhere. <\/p>\n
Geelong Cup winner set for Melbourne Cup | 00:26<\/p>\n
9. ASTERIX (6)<\/p>\n
$71 \/ $19<\/p>\n
T: Chris Waller; J: Jye McNeil<\/p>\n
One of two runners in the race for my great fellow Kiwi Chris Waller. He\u2019s a master trainer who can do anything, but I\u2019d say that this year he doesn\u2019t have his best chance of winning it. The horse just ran 12th in the Caulfield Cup, and while some went worse, it wasn\u2019t a great trial for this. Still, there are always horses who come into the Melbourne Cup at big odds because of their lead up form, and then on the day something clicks, the race pans out magically for them, and they can run top six or even top three. There\u2019s usually a bolter in the trifecta, and you wouldn\u2019t put anything past Waller. And Jye McNeil\u2019s a very good rider who\u2019s won this race before, in 2020 aboard Twilight Payment, riding a well judged race to lead all the way, like Might And Power did for me. And he\u2019s got gate six so that helps. Has heavy track form but not much on soft. I\u2019ll be looking elsewhere.<\/p>\n
10. GOODIE TWO SHOES (19)<\/p>\n
$26 \/ $8<\/p>\n
T: Joseph O\u2019Brien; J: Wayne Lordan<\/p>\n
Another raider from the O\u2019Brien camp. This 8yo mare ran a fantastic race to come second last year, at $41. She\u2019s been there and done that, so you know she\u2019ll handle the trip and the occasion. You don\u2019t see many mares come out from Europe for the Cup. It\u2019s a bit harder to switch hemisphere with mares than geldings or stallions, because the change of season messes with their hormones. So O\u2019Brien obviously knows she\u2019s the right type. And the fact she\u2019s got that score on the board is a huge plus. And she even had barrier 20 last year, so while she\u2019s got 19 this time, it\u2019s still better than she had then! Wayne Lordan, who\u2019s a good jockey, decided to go forward last year, and he\u2019ll probably do the same again. The big difference is she\u2019s got to carry more weight this time than last year, with 55kg compared to just 51.5kg last year. But she\u2019s used to carrying much bigger back home, like the 61kg she had when she won at Goodwood over 2818m two starts back. No, she hasn\u2019t had an Australian lead-up run, but last year she ran great despite also not having one. Goes on soft or good going. So I give her a roughie\u2019s chance again at big odds.<\/p>\n
11. JUJA KIBO (14)<\/p>\n
$11 \/ $3.90<\/p>\n
T: Ciaron Maher; J: Sam Clipperton<\/p>\n
Another from Ciaron Maher\u2019s big battalion and one of his better chances. He\u2019s in hot form, winning his past two races, and there\u2019s nothing like coming into a Cup in hot form. I really liked his run when he swooped from the back to win the Moonee Valley Cup over 2500m last start. The start before was excellent too, when he won The Metropolitan over 2400m at Randwick. This horse was bred in Ireland but he\u2019s been here for a couple of years now to settle in, and he\u2019s really hit his straps this campaign. You can sometimes see that with European imports. Some go well straight away; others take more time to settle in and acclimatise. It can also take time for their trainers to work them out. Ciaron\u2019s obviously got his bloke humming! He\u2019s also got a decent middle gate, and a very competent and composed rider in Sammy Clipperton. He gets a big chance here to have his life changed by becoming a Melbourne Cup winning jockey. Good luck to him, and I think this horse is among the chances, especially since he\u2019s proven on all sorts of going.<\/p>\n
12. HOPEWELL ROCK (15)<\/p>\n
$11 \/ $3.90<\/p>\n
T: George Boughey; J: Zac Lloyd<\/p>\n
I\u2019m hearing big things about this stayer. He ran second in the Ebor Handicap over 2786m in England before coming here. That\u2019s one of their most important staying races, and he was only beaten by a nostril on the line. And that came after his jockey dropped the whip inside the last 200 metres. It\u2019s a horrible thing to happen for a rider, and yes, in a tight finish like that, it\u2019s usually the difference between winning and losing. And the start before that this horse won a handicap at Goodwood over 2816m, so he\u2019s racing well. His trainer has one of the best up and coming stables in England, and he\u2019s made a shrewd move by engaging one of the best young jockeys in Australia in Zac Lloyd. Zac\u2019s a natural – confident, sharp, and horses travel for him. He knows how to get the best out of them, which is a huge attribute for any rider. He\u2019s got a wide-ish gate to negotiate, but it\u2019s not too bad. Again, I\u2019d have liked to have seen this horse have an Australian start before the Cup, but there\u2019s been a stack of money for him, he\u2019s in the right age group as a British 5yo, he\u2019s proven on all types of going, and he\u2019s obviously highly regarded. Each-way.<\/p>\n
![\"MELBOURNE,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/555c88d045bf47617d60aa9f0af1d558.jpeg\")
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 27: Hopewell Rock is seen during a trackwork session at Flemington Racecourse on October 27, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
13. ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (13)<\/p>\n
$81 \/ $22<\/p>\n
T: Tim Fitzsimmons; J: Declan Bates<\/p>\n
This bloke looked hot when he came out for the Cup two years ago, when he won the Geelong Cup on the way through. Then last year he won the Moonee Valley Cup going into the Melbourne Cup. But he disappointed on the big day both times – running 12th in 2024 and 16th last year. And his form this time isn\u2019t hot at all. He ran ninth of 13 in the Herbert Power, then 11th of 13 in the Geelong Cup. Declan Bates is a great little rider and he\u2019s drawn an OK gate, but I\u2019d prefer others.<\/p>\n
14. SOUL OF SPAIN (5)<\/p>\n
$34 \/ $10<\/p>\n
T: Chris Waller; J: Tommy Berry<\/p>\n
Chris Waller\u2019s other runner and probably the better of his two chances. It\u2019s a bit hard to take much from his Caulfield Cup run. His jockey got sick of the slow pace and took him on a long run from the back to the front mid-race. It\u2019s good to see jockeys thinking, but that\u2019s a hard thing to pull off in a Caulfield Cup. He weakened out to finish eighth. That wasn\u2019t horrible, considering he was a $61 chance, but it\u2019s a bit hard to use as a pointer for this race. Still, Waller will have him trained to the minute to give him his best chance, Tommy Berry\u2019s a good jockey, and he\u2019s drawn well. The best thing about this horse was his second in the Sydney Cup over this 3200m trip back in April. So he\u2019ll get the trip, and that\u2019s a big box ticked whereas a lot of others are unknown quantities at the distance. Handles wet or dry, and it wouldn\u2019t surprise me to see him run a place or top six at big odds.<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 27: Jye McNeil riding Soul of Spain during a trackwork session at Flemington Racecourse on October 27, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
15. ZAHRANN (11)<\/p>\n
$26 \/ $8<\/p>\n
T: Ciaron Maher; J: Ben Melham<\/p>\n
Another of Ciaron Maher\u2019s British imports and he\u2019s racing fairly well overall. Looked very impressive in winning a Group 3 handicap over 2000m at Caulfield three runs back. Then he ran poorly when 11th in the Turnbull Stakes over 2000m at Flemington, but you can probably forgive that run because of the heavy track and the set weights conditions in a high quality field. Back to a handicap, under just 53kg, he ran very well in the Caulfield Cup, making ground from the back to finish sixth. He\u2019s got a little more this time in 54.5kg, which puts him pretty close to some big chances on the weight scale, but he gets points just for being from the Maher stable. Good big race jockey in Ben Melham, and he\u2019s drawn well. Just going on his Caulfield Cup run, I\u2019d give this bloke an each-way chance at decent odds. Doesn\u2019t have much wet track form, however.<\/p>\n
16. SO YOU ARE (7)<\/p>\n
$17 \/ $5<\/p>\n
T: Bjorn Baker; J: Rachel King<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot to like about this 5yo gelding – one of the four Aussie-bred hopes in the race who brings superb form into this, having won his past four starts. He\u2019s bred and owned by a master of breeding in Stuey Ramsey, a bushie who\u2019s a great bloke and one of the great characters of the Australian turf. I had a lot of success with Stuey, so I\u2019ll be cheering for his boy here. And he\u2019s got his regular rider Rachel King in the saddle. I love her. She\u2019s going great, and I reckon she\u2019s the most improved rider in the country over the past five years or so, becoming a very reliable big race jockey. She\u2019s ridden this horse in four of his past five runs, so she knows him well and obviously has a good bond with him, which is a huge thing. She\u2019s also got a great barrier to jump from, where she should be able to take up a good spot. This horse is also from the great stable of my fellow Kiwi Bjorn Baker, who\u2019s been on fire lately. You love to follow a stable in form, because it shows everything there is working well. The horse won the Bendigo Cup over 2400m last week to seal his place in this race, after winning the St Leger over 2600m at Randwick. He hasn\u2019t been beyond that distance, but you know he\u2019s just an out-and-out stayer who\u2019ll keep going all day. Handles all going, and he\u2019ll be in this race for a long way.<\/p>\n
17. FUTURE HISTORY (12)<\/p>\n
$51 \/ $13.50<\/p>\n
T: Greg Hickman; J: Jamie Melham<\/p>\n
This gelding has a wonderful rider aboard in Jamie Melham, who won the Cup last year. So that\u2019s a big plus. And he\u2019s with a good trainer in Sydney\u2019s Greg Hickman. But those things are about the only thing going for him. Ran OK when fourth in the Herbert Power two runs ago over 2400m, but then ran ninth in the Moonee Valley Cup at $26. Plus he\u2019s nine years old. Handles wet and dry, but I\u2019ll be looking elsewhere.<\/p>\n
18. JAMES J BRADDOCK (24)<\/p>\n
$14 \/ $6<\/p>\n
T: Joseph O\u2019Brien; J: Craig Williams<\/p>\n
Another from the O\u2019Brien camp and he brings some interesting form from England. He ran third in the highly prestigious English Derby three runs ago, which was huge after he apparently lost the plot before the race. He then flopped in the Irish Derby, so they took the decision to geld him, the old \u201cultimate gear change\u201d, that can stop them mucking up or thinking about fillies, and can often make a racehorse out of them. He didn\u2019t show much benefit at his next and latest start, when sixth in a good staying race in Ireland, but it was his first run for three months and O\u2019Brien will have used it to fitten him up for the trip to Melbourne. The whispers from back home meant this horse was an $11 chance on Saturday morning, but he eased out after the barrier draw: 24 of 24; it doesn\u2019t get tougher than that. Thankfully, he has the wonderful Craig Williams aboard, one of the best riders in the country, still at the age of 49. He will have his work cut out from that gate though, but he did win the Cup from barrier 21 on Vow And Declare in 2019. He only carried 52kg. This bloke has a touch more with 53.5kg, again putting him up near the class horses who\u2019ve earned slightly bigger weights, but it\u2019s still not much. Aside from the gate, this horse hasn\u2019t had an Australian lead-up, and while he\u2019s a gelding now, the fact he lost the plot before the English Derby worries me considering the huge occasion of a Melbourne Cup has upset plenty of Europeans before, who\u2019ve seen nothing like it back home. They might take him out onto the track early to avoid the worst of it. I\u2019d say top six is the best way to go with this guy. Handles wet or dry.<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 16: The Joseph O’Brien trained James J Braddock is seen during a trackwork session at Werribee Racecourse on October 16, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
19. KIZLYAR (20)<\/p>\n
53.5kg (20)<\/p>\n
$34 \/ $10<\/p>\n
5yo gelding<\/p>\n
11: 3-2-2<\/p>\n
Good: 4:2-1-0 Soft: 6:1-1-2 Heavy: 1:0-0-0<\/p>\n
$202,850<\/p>\n
T: Joseph O\u2019Brien; J: Beau Mertens<\/p>\n
Another one for O\u2019Brien who can stay all day, having won over 4013m in a handicap at the Royal Ascot carnival this year. Also won over 2816m in Ireland at the start before that. Has a good lightweight Australian jockey in Beau Mertens. A couple of things worry me though. The horse wasn\u2019t originally in O\u2019Brien\u2019s top five: he only got into the field on Saturday when another O\u2019Brien runner, Defiantly, was ruled out by the vets. So he might be short of top class, as shown by the fact he hasn\u2019t been running in Group races back home. Has had one Australian lead-up run but it wasn\u2019t great, with a fading 11th in the Moonee Valley Cup. Worst of all is he\u2019s drawn gate 20. Proven on soft (our heavy) and good going, but you\u2019d have to take him on trust. <\/p>\n
20. POINT OF LAW (9)<\/p>\n
$6.50 \/ $2.70<\/p>\n
T: Ciaron Maher; J: Ethan Brown<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the Cup favourite, and of course he does have a lot going for him. Ciaron Maher sourced him from England after he raced at Royal Ascot this year – with a good fourth in a 2846m Group 2 – before winning a G3 over 2615m at Newmarket. That\u2019s great form, and you can bet Maher had to go pretty hard to buy him. But best of all about this horse – he debuted in Australia with a brilliant win in the Geelong Cup, over 2400m. That\u2019s always a key lead-up race to the Melbourne Cup. It\u2019s an ideal time before it, at a day less than two weeks, and plenty of horses have run well in the Geelong Cup before also doing well in the big one. And the style of his Geelong win was hugely impressive, crossing from the widest gate of 13 to race on the pace, and then keeping on going in the straight like he\u2019d like it longer still. To do that at your first Australian run, three months after your last start, is huge. He\u2019s got Ethan Brown on again, who\u2019s a terrific young rider, and gate nine is beautiful. A couple of question marks though. He\u2019s got 53kg, which is only 3.5 less than his stablemate Middle Earth, and is pretty close to some other, more proven, horses. So he\u2019s going to have to be a good horse to win, and it would be a phenomenal training performance from Maher if he does, second-up in the Cup. But don\u2019t doubt Maher. He might quinella the race, or even get the trifecta. Or even the first four! If I had the choice still, I\u2019d want to ride Middle Earth or Point Of Law. Considering the weights, I\u2019d lean towards Middle Earth. That import is proven in this race, and is a seasoned seven-year-old (six-and-a-half biologically), whereas this bloke is four (three-and-a-half biologically). But Point Of Law is clearly a very good horse, and you\u2019ve gotta say he\u2019s a big chance. He is untried in the wet, however.<\/p>\n
Point of Law during spring Carnival trackwork at Werribee Racecourse on October 29, 2026 in Werribee, Australia. (Photo by George Sal\/Racing Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
21. STRICTLY BUSINESS (4)<\/p>\n
$81 \/ $21<\/p>\n
T: Thomas Carberry; J: Dean Yendall<\/p>\n
This mare showed her staying powers by winning the VRC Oaks over 2500m at Flemington last spring. But she might have lost interest this spring. Mares can go on you like that: one minute they\u2019re all racehorse, the next they\u2019re ready to become a mum. Proven in soft and food, but she\u2019s in poor form and I can\u2019t give her a hope.<\/p>\n
22. MR MONACO (16)<\/p>\n
$23 \/ $7<\/p>\n
T: Ciaron Maher; J: Jabez Johnstone<\/p>\n
Another British import for Ciaron Maher and he\u2019s got fair form. Won the Bart Cummings over 2520m two runs back, which is a good lead-up to this. Followed up with a good third in the Moonee Valley Cup. Gets in with a light weight and has young rising star Jabez Johnstone on board – who\u2019s trying to become the first apprentice to win the Cup since another great young rider – J Cassidy in 1983! Jabez will have his work cut out for him from barrier 16, but at least the horse has a light weight of 52.5kg which helps with that. The horse handles wet and dry conditions, and while he might not shape as one of Maher\u2019s best, you doubt Maher at your peril. So I\u2019d give him a place chance.<\/p>\n
23. ZAKOUMA (10)<\/p>\n
$31 \/ $9<\/p>\n
T: Grahame Begg; J: William Pike<\/p>\n
This horse has a great trainer in Grahame Begg, and a wonderful rider in Willie Pike, the \u201cWizard of the West\u201d. Pike is a gifted jockey, riding hundreds of winners in Perth and flying over to win some big races in the east, like the Cox Plate the other day on Cosmic Crusader, where he showed his guile by sitting back and having the last shot at the leaders. So you like backing a jockey in form. The horse has also shown some recent form. He won the 2800m Andrew Ramsden in May to earn his ticket into this race. Had a good fifth in the Herbert Power over 2400m two runs back. Ran ordinary at his last start but that was only over 1600m to top up his fitness. Performs in wet or dry, and has a lightweight roughie\u2019s hope of sneaking a place or top six.<\/p>\n
24. SHOCKLETZ (17)<\/p>\n
$11 \/ $3.50<\/p>\n
T: Ciaron Maher; J: Harry Coffey<\/p>\n
Maher\u2019s seventh runner (by field order) but by no means his worst. Won the 2500m Archer Stakes three starts back. That\u2019s been her longest distance so far, but obviously Maher thinks she\u2019ll get this trip. Has a good jockey aboard in Harry Coffey, but he has a tricky gate to negotiate in 17. The horse is a Kiwi like myself, and they know how to breed a stayer there, and her dad Shocking won the Cup in 2009, so that\u2019s a good hint that she should hopefully get the journey. Handles soft and good going, and the huge plus is that she\u2019s got a tiny weight, of 51kg. She had 58kg at her last run, when she flew home over 2040m at Flemington last Saturday week to run second, so she\u2019ll love the 7kg drop in weight. <\/p>\n
TIPS: 1. MIDDLE EARTH, 2. Point Of Law, 3. So You Are, 4. Zahrann.<\/p>\n
Best roughie: Goodie Two Shoes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jim Cassidy was revered as a master in the saddle, a champion jockey who won 103 Group 1s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":647592,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-647591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=647591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}