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The Caulfield and Melbourne Cups picture should be a lot clearer for several international entries after two key lead-up races are run this weekend in France and the UK.
Photo by HKJC
The G2 Prix Kergorlay at Deauville and the G2 Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury have laid the foundation for numerous spring carnival assaults in previous years and should again have a big bearing on plans for several of this year’s entries.
France’s two Melbourne Cup winners Americain and Dunaden both had their final domestic start in the Prix Kergorlay (3000m) and the race is now looked on as one of Europe’s vital preliminaries to the Melbourne carnival.
Key runners this year include Hammerfest, Top Trip and the Australian-owned Only A Pleasure.
Hammerfest is raced by Dunaden’s owner Sheikh Fahad Al Thani in partnership with Michael Watt, who raced three-time Melbourne Cup visitor Vinnie Roe.
The John Hammond-trained Hammerfest was in line for a trip to Australia last year but plans were scrapped after he finished 14th in the Ebor at York and was absent for the remainder of the season.
Now six, he made his comeback at Saint-Cloud in May and was back in wining form at that venue second up in a 2100m conditions race.
He followed with an eighth at Royal Ascot but an encouraging third over 3200m in a Listed event at Maisons-Laffitte at his last start has back in the mix for Melbourne.
"If everything goes well this weekend, we'll absolutely consider him for Melbourne," said Sheikh Fahad’s racing manager David Redvers.
Top Trip has excelled since trainer Francois Doumen decided to extend his distances this year, finishing a nose behind Glen's Diamond in the Yorkshire Cup (2800m) before running third in the G1 Ascot Gold Cup (4000m).
Doumen announced the Prix du Cadran on Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend in October to be Top Trip's target, but he still has the Melbourne options open.
Only A Pleasure, raced by Australia’s OTI Racing, has been sparingly raced by trainer Andre Fabre for two placings in Group company. OTI boss Terry Henderson said he is waiting to see how he acquits himself in the Kergorlay before any decisions are made about the Melbourne carnival.
Defending champion Joshua Tree, now a stablemate of the Ed Dunlop-trained Red Cadeaux, may be a Cup visitor but he must bounce back from an abysmal effort in the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud (2400m).
Dunaden’s trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre has Verema, owned by the Aga Khan, is another prime target for Racing Victoria’s international recruiter Leigh Jordon and her performance will determine whether the Melbourne Cup becomes a realistic goal.
Verema was an impressive last start winner of the Prix Maurice de Nieuil (2800m) and that form loks strong as second placed La Pomme D’Amour has since won a G2 at Deauville.
Fabre's Dance Moves and Gloomy Sunday, a Group 3 winner for France's rising star trainer Christophe Ferland make this a strong renewal of the Kergorlay.
The Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2675m) will be vital to the Godolphin team for the Melbourne carnival with the Saeed bin Suroor-trained pair of Lost In The Moment and Royal Empire featuring among the 10-strong field.
Lost In The Moment, formerly trained by Jeremy Noseda, finished sixth in the 2011 Melbourne Cup but failed to make the final field 12 months ago, while the younger Royal Empire has raced exclusively in Dubai and England.
Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford said: “We need to see how they both get on as it does look a very competitive race, as always.
“They will both probably get entries in the Melbourne Cup but whether they run will depend on if they have a rating high enough and if they are handicapped well enough to have a chance of performing competitively.
“It is too early to pin-point which of them will run at Flemington but if I had to choose one then it would be Royal Empire but he needs to prove himself to us first.”
Lost In The Moment was fifth in the Queen Elizabeth Cup at Flemington behind this year’s Cup favourite Puissance De Lune last November, and has performed with huge credit on his two runs back by winning the Listed Fred Archer at Newmarket and second in a G3 at Goodwood.
Royal Empire showed smart handicap form in Dubai earlier this year and steps up in distance after scoring over 2000m at Newbury last month.
“Royal Empire is stepping up in class and has a bit to find but we hope there is more to come,” Crisford said.
“We are all learning about him but hopefully there is more to come and the step up in trip will suit him.”
Lost In The Moment will again clash with I’m Your Man, the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained Frenchs stayer who finished a head second in the Fred Archer Stakes at Newmarket.
Ed Dunlop had said that 2011 Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux would not be running again before leaving for Australia but in a change of plans turns out again under international pilot Gerald Mosse.
Johnny Murtagh, who could run Royal Diamond in this year’s Melbourne Cup, rides Model Pupil for CharlieHills while John Gosden’s Aitken makes his seasonal return having been last seen when second to the Dermot Weld-trained Rite Of Passage on at Ascot last October.