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Leading owner Lloyd Williams has a stranglehold on today's Listed Jayco Bendigo Cup (race 8) with the clear top two in betting.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Imported galloper At First Sight heads the weights for the 2400m race and is the early favourite, but not far ahead of stablemate Tanby who is backing up after finishing runner-up in last week's Geelong Cup.
Tanby, with a big pull in the weights on his stablemate, is worth another try after his gutsy effort last week behind the French stayer Dunaden.
The gelding, a son of Galileo, was a third-up winner over 2500m at Moonee Valley before finishing runner-up in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes over 2400m at Caulfield.
There he settled just off the speed before working into the race and finishing a neck behind Shewan.
He then raced in last week's Group 3 Geelong Cup and was given every chance by Steven King, sitting fourth before looming up and finishing a three-quarter length second behind Dunaden.
This is Tanby's last chance to qualify for the Melbourne Cup, where he sits 38th in order of entry and needs not only a win but one decisive enough to warrant a re-handicap to get him off his 50kg mark.
Tanby is one of seven runners engaged in today's race who need to win and earn a penalty to have any chance of making the Melbourne Cup field.
Sahara Sun is on the borderline at 24th in order of entry, while Lamasery (32), Two For Tea (41), Cosmonaut (44), Back In Black (46) and Western Symbol (47) are at this stage well down the order of entry for the 24 horse race.
Unlike Tanby who needs to win to be any sort of chance for the Cup, At First Sight is safely in the field at 20th in order of entry.
The entire was runner-up in the Englsih Derby and fifth in the Irish Derby at the end of last season before heading to Australia.
His form in three runs here has been good, finding 1200m well too sharp fresh but showing dash to lead then fade to 10th, before an improved race in the Makybe Diva Stakes when sixth.
Last start, in the Naturalism Stakes, he came from near last to finish a half length second behind December Draw and looked on target for a successful spring.
But the five-year-old had a slight virus which ruled him out of first the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes when he also missed the Caulfield Cup.
So while he easily has the ratings to win this race, he not only carries topweight of 58kg but hasn't raced for five weeks.
There's no doubt he'll be improved on the run as he heads to next week's Cup and would want to run well in this to warrant pressing ahead of the even tougher 3200m assignment.
Worth watching is Luca Cumani's Sahara Sun, who was beaten seven lengths at his Australian debut but will be much improved on the run.
The four-year-old was runner-up in this year's Chilean Derby, winning a Group 2 race over 2000m at the start prior.
Robert Smerdon's Olympic Win, fourth in the Adelaide Cup earlier this year, might not boast some of the ratings of his international rivals but is ready to win after four runs from a spell and will be good odds, while Gai Waterhouse's Western Symbol will give a big sight in front with the light weight and the inside draw.
Dream Pedlar, last year's winner, has the very much in-form Craig Williams aboard and can improve sharply after he had a tough run on the speed in the Caulfield Cup.