Racing Melbourne Cup 2023 ( no after the fact posts)

Melbourne Cup winner??

  • 2.ALENQUER(9) - Damien Oliver

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 8.RIGHT YOU ARE(15) - John Allen

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 13.OKITA SOUSHI(20) - Dylan Gibbons (a)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 14.SHERAZ(22) - Beau Mertens

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 16.MAGICAL LAGOON(7) - Mark Du Plessis

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 19.VIRTUOUS CIRCLE(6) - Craig Newitt

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 22.INTERPRETATION(17) - Teo Nugent

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 23.KALAPOUR(14) - Zac Lloyd (a)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    99
  • Poll closed .

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Post Caulfield Cup rankings

1A. GOLD TRIP - Really good run in the Caulfield Cup beating everything bar the winner heading this way comfortably. Expect Flemington to suit him a lot better and presume he meets WAF slightly better at the weights now heading there. Has the class and is already proven running out a strong 2 miles in the Melbourne Cup. All going to be weather dependent as to whether he is the top seed or not. If the track has give in it then it really improves his chances and puts the slows on his main rivals.

1B. WITHOUT A FIGHT - Brilliant winner of the Caulfield Cup. Had a couple lengths on Gold Trip and 5 lengths + on everything else heading this way so very hard to see anything else bar GT being able to turn the tables at Flemington. Technically he is unproven at the trip but with 2800m form in England the expectation is that shouldn't be a problem out here. His wheels don't spin on a wet surface though so if we have a soft track then its almost rule a line territory. Firm track though and he is the one to beat.

3. SOULCOMBE - Complete barrier rogue. Walked out 8 lengths behind them in the Caulfield Cup and ran really well considering. Made up good ground in that race through the 800-600 and was on the back of WAF and GT but then got crowded for a bit of room in the straight before plugging home reasonably. I think 2 miles at Flemington will suit him perfectly and that was a decent Cup trial all things considered but he is just consistently shit at the barriers and is just getting worse so no reason to think he wont miss the kick poorly at Flemington again and have to pass the whole field.

4. VAUBAN - Valiant King didn't exactly frank the form at Caulfield but he finished around these sort of horses and Vauban did beat him pretty comfortably by a couple lengths so would expect him to be in this sort of area still.

5. BREAKUP - Average at best Caulfield Cup run and he just didnt seem fast enough or good enough to sustain speed over 2400m. I expect the bigger Flemington track and the 2 miles to both be better suited for him but not by enough to be able to make up the difference on those already rated ahead of him.

Doesn't seem any point in going beyond this for winning chances for me. It was a strong Caulfield Cup and that is THE form race for Flemington with the other lead ups looking pretty lackluster. For the sake of looking deeper ill just round out the list with the best roughies for the back end of exotics.

ASHRUN - Currently $120 was one of the better runs out of the Bart Cummings. Off the scene for pretty much 2 years his first up run this prep was really good sitting 3WNC and getting beat 3.75L over 1700m. Backed that up in the Bart Cummings running on really well from last clocking the best last 800, 600 and 400 whilst giving away 5kg to the first two.

DAQUIANSWEET JUNIOR - Currently $101. As previously stated in this thread he is basically on the same prep as last year where he ran a credible 6th in the Cup and gets in nice and light in the weights. His 3200m form in this country is good and generally runs above market expectations when getting out to a trip so can see him running past some more tired horses at the end.

SPANISH MISSION - Currently $65. As said above he had been pegged as an out and out 2 miler since he got here and he has had 6 runs since that Spring for 5 goes at 2000m or less and one go at 2400m on a wet track which he doesn't go on. He is older, locally trained and had injuries so obviously not near his best but he has a lot more class potential than anything else in the dregs and his last start Turnbull 8th has a lot of merit crossing the line with most of these types.

VIRTUOUS CIRCLE - Currently $55. Had no luck in the Bart Cummings when running into traffic everywhere. Think he finishes considerably closer with luck and meets most of that field better of fat the weights should they meet again at Flemington.

MORE FELONS - Currently $300. For the plays tall believers. Yet to be seen but on his European form he isn't really any worse off than a lot of others also making up the numbers and he is a considerably better price than most of them. He will stay the 2 miles no problems and gets in light at the weights. For comparison he took on Absurde in the Ebor in their last race start before coming here and he was 14/1 vs 7/1 in that race carrying basically a kilo more and now meets him 3.5kg better off for a 3 length defeat in that race so I think id rather spec MF at 15x the price.


Trouble with a lot of the roughies though is they are on the day F4 add ons and if they run well before the Cup the odds will likely be gone and if they run like shit you probably dont want to be with them...
 
Not sure he’s cooked with two of those being placings behind Justin Palace and Silver Sonic, both 3000+?

One placing in his last 4 the only time he has been within 5 of the winner. It screams to me the classic profile of a cooked jap they send out here as a last hurrah
 

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Lol classic falling into the last run hype with Just Fine. Go and take a look how far Benaud got beat in the CC last year.

Nothing could be less relevant from a MC perspective than second tier Sydney staying form

Also extremely likely Breakup is completely cooked as is gold trip and WWB won’t run 3200 down a well.

The at lever 3yos who won’t come and WAF the only horses worth considering for now with DDS as a speculator

Go look at how Durston went last year too. Just Fine going brilliant at the moment.

How exactly is it extremely likely Breakup is cooked?
 
Go look at how Durston went last year too. Just Fine going brilliant at the moment.

How exactly is it extremely likely Breakup is cooked?

Yes its going Brilliant against Benaud and some random Sydney BM galloper as most horses that run in a CC would. Not going to start looking for Sydney B grade form because they fluked 1 Cup of the last 20 or so. JF has the exact type of profile that completely goes to water in the big ones (it wont run 3200 down a well in any case).

As discussed above - Breakup is cooked because its finished within 5 lengths of the winner once in about a year - reflecting the fact it keeps going around at 50-100/1. The only reason its the price it is is because its the first Jap to lob for a few years
 
Yeah cooked just like Admire Rakti...

I expect Breakup to go about as well as Admire Ratki in the Melbourne Cup or Current Mitrovic or Tokai Trick etc - there are a long list of these busted up Japs that have come over and done nothing
 
Thinking Breakup is cooked is legit one of the worst takes I've heard from you in these threads. It may or may not be good enough but he is a pretty lightly raced 5yo going better now than he has before
 
Thinking Breakup is cooked is legit one of the worst takes I've heard from you in these threads. It may or may not be good enough but he is a pretty lightly raced 5yo going better now than he has before

Ummm are we looking at the same horse?!?!- Lightly raced with 20+ starts?!? And nothing says going better than ever before than getting beaten out of sight in 2 of your last 4 starts. Its elite recent form must have been why it was so well backed in the Kinen.

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In any case its running at Caulfield so we will know ahead of time but there is zero point backing it at its current price ahead of that.
 
Ummm are we looking at the same horse?!?!- Lightly raced with 20+ starts?!? And nothing says going better than ever before than getting beaten out of sight in 2 of your last 4 starts. Its elite recent form must have been why it was so well backed in the Kinen.

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In any case its running at Caulfield so we will know ahead of time but there is zero point backing it at its current price ahead of that.

Are we looking at the same horse? In his last 3 starts he has run his 2 highest rated performances. But yeah now he's cooked...

Even his down the field run in an unsuitable Takarazuka Kinen would out perform most of his previous form
 
Are we looking at the same horse? In his last 3 starts he has run his 2 highest rated performances. But yeah now he's cooked...

Even his down the field run in an unsuitable Takarazuka Kinen would out perform most of his previous form

Ok yes - if you exclude the two performances where he was flogged out of sight and only look at the one time he has got within 5 lengths of the winner of late then yes....he is in career best form.

Honestly though - he is a solid allowance horse who has been thrown in the deep end late and been flogged twice while running a couple of nice races without ever looking like winning. The fact they are coming here screams cooked but we will find that out at Caulfield anyway.

Or in other words

Breakup - Went awful at his last start before coming here. Could not back a horse to turn it around on that
 
Ok yes - if you exclude the two performances where he was flogged out of sight and only look at the one time he has got within 5 lengths of the winner of late then yes....he is in career best form.

Lol it isn't even really debatable. His runs in the Tenno Sho and the Hanshin Daishoten were his career best performances which both came in his last 3 starts. I don't know why you are trying to spin it into something else. If you don't think he has the ability then fine but let's not pretend like he is some over the hill horse going backwards coming out here as an 8yo
 
Lol it isn't even really debatable. His runs in the Tenno Sho and the Hanshin Daishoten were his career best performances which both came in his last 3 starts. I don't know why you are trying to spin it into something else. If you don't think he has the ability then fine but let's not pretend like he is some over the hill horse going backwards coming out here as an 8yo

Went awful at his last start before coming here. Could not back a horse to turn it around on that

Also..

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You got burnt by Danon Premium too

Danon Premium was coming off back to back seconds in G1s where he was single figures (6/4 fave in one) and would have bolted in if he hadn't faced a complete and utter bog.
 
Yes its going Brilliant against Benaud and some random Sydney BM galloper as most horses that run in a CC would. Not going to start looking for Sydney B grade form because they fluked 1 Cup of the last 20 or so. JF has the exact type of profile that completely goes to water in the big ones (it wont run 3200 down a well in any case).

As discussed above - Breakup is cooked because its finished within 5 lengths of the winner once in about a year - reflecting the fact it keeps going around at 50-100/1. The only reason its the price it is is because its the first Jap to lob for a few years
I don’t know if being 0.09 seconds off a track record is B grade form. Can only beat what’s put in front of him.
I think the owners and trainers have made a huge error not running him the Caulfield Cup or Cox Plate.

I can’t see him getting troubled in the Metropolitan and the market suggests that. He’ll probably then go into the Bart Cummings for a chance at a free ticket to the Cup.
 
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I don’t know if being 0.09 seconds off a track record is B grade form. Can only beat what’s put in front of him.
I think the owners and trainers have made a huge error not running him the Caulfield Cup or Cox Plate.

I can’t see him getting troubled in the Metropolitan and the market suggests that. He’ll probably then go into the Bart Cummings for a chance at a free ticket to the Cup.

Let’s be honest you only have to be in the cup for a chance. Was happy to get him on $61 for the cup.

Stale prices board. Too bad it was $13 when it crossed the line. Why didn’t you mention it at the time? Your talking something up that is absolutely poison

Track records and 800-400 sectional splits the sure way to find a cup winner

He has absolutely none in any of the majors but I’m sure you’ll arb out at just the right time

Benaud must be a top class galloper to get so close to a track record.

Plus he wasn’t even as good a run as monte after WFA adjustment.
 
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I don’t know if being 0.09 seconds off a track record is B grade form. Can only beat what’s put in front of him.
I think the owners and trainers have made a huge error not running him the Caulfield Cup or Cox Plate.

I can’t see him getting troubled in the Metropolitan and the market suggests that. He’ll probably then go into the Bart Cummings for a chance at a free ticket to the Cup.

Let’s be honest you only have to be in the cup for a chance. Was happy to get him on $61 for the cup.
Everything was fine until you mentioned the $61. 🤬🤬🤬🤬
 
Was hoping for 54 for Vauban but will take 55 it and Breakup.

Lol you were never getting 54. Pretty much everything is in 2 kgs light up the top so Vauban actually not in that well at all. It’s basically a quality with this scale. A wfa horse will be winning if it lobs
 
Carps previously said that he wouldn’t adhere rigidly to Euro ratings, especially when they’re based on a small sample size. It’ll be interesting to see what Hegan does. It’s going to be difficult to achieve all weight relativities reflecting the ratings while also meeting the following objectives:

  • Gold Trip’s a group 1 winner and group 1 placed, so Vauban (the winner of a modest Irish group 3) needs to get substantial weight off him
  • the handicappers seem reluctant to push topweight horses (in this case Gold Trip) far above the minimum topweight at declaration of weights (58kgs).
  • there’s a stated objective to mark up the NH 3yos (to give them more weight) given their strong recent record
  • Ebor winners seem to be quite heavily handicapped but this year’s winner, Absurde, was belted by Vauban by 7.5l.

In last year’s Cup Without A Fight was allocated 55.5kgs and his rating was 113. He was a group 3 winner at the time. The handicapper mumbled something about there being no natural topweight and so he’d essentially elevated all horses by a kilo. So perhaps Without A Fight would otherwise have got 54.5kgs. Vauban’s rating is 114.

My guess is that Gold Trip gets 58.5kgs, Vauban gets 55kgs and Absurde gets 53.5kgs. Valiant King and Tower of London are to race again before travelling I think, so their weights will depend on those performances.

It’ll be amusing watching local commentators, that usually bemoan Euros with high ratings but limited group race exposure getting into the race ahead of Australian group race horses, now arguing that Vauban should carry more weight.
You’re welcome guys 👍
 

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Racing Melbourne Cup 2023 ( no after the fact posts)

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