Trainer Ed Dunlop is no stranger to preparing a European shipper for a big run in Melbourne, having trained Red Cadeaux (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) to three runner-up finishes in four trips to the G1 Melbourne Cup, and Dunlop will once again take a shot at taking down one of Australia's most important contests with Trip To Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}) in Saturday's A$3 million G1 Caulfield Cup. That 4-year-old gelding recorded his most important victory when upsetting the 2 1/2-mile G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, and he has since suffered a pair of reversals when third in the G2 Goodwood Cup over two miles July 30, and when fifth in the G2 Lonsdale Cup over two miles and a half-furlong Aug. 21. Trip To Paris has yet to feel any love from the Aussie punters–he sits at 33-1–perhaps because of his apparent preference for staying trips, but traveling foreman Robin Trevor-Jones insisted the bay can handle the drop back in trip to 1 1/2-miles here, referencing his win in a Lingfield handicap over the same distance earlier this year.
“This horse won over 1400 meters as a 2-year-old and we've asked him to run a mile-and-a-half once this year and he won,” Trevor-Jones told Racing.com. “Obviously everyone's seen that we stepped him up in distance after that, but he galloped yesterday and ran his final two furlongs in just over 22 seconds; he's not slow. We've got a great barrier and we're really looking forward to the race. I'd like to see him just in behind the leaders, maybe fifth or sixth and just running his normal sort of race.”
Trip To Paris is joined in the field by fellow British shipper and Royal Ascot winner Snow Sky (GB) (Nayef), who provided one of the most eye-catching results of the Royal meeting in June when taking the G2 Hardwicke S. over this trip off a win in the 14-furlong G2 Yorkshire Cup five weeks earlier. The Khalid Abdullah homebred was a disappointing sixth of seven in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. when last seen July 25, but is more fancied than Trip To Paris at 14-1.
More Admiration For Japan…
Japan enjoyed victory in last year's Caulfield Cup courtesy of Admire Rakti (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), and that nation has a pair of chances to make it two in a row with Hokko Brave (Jpn) (Marvelous Sunday {Jpn}) and Fame Game (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}). The former, like Admire Rakti, will be ridden by Zac Purton, and he makes his first start since a second to Gold Ship (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) in the G1 Tenno Sho Spring May 3. While Fame Game will have to overcome the rail draw, Hokko Brave, who was sixth in the Tenno Sho, well have to overcome barrier 19. Despite the fact that Hokko Brave has yet to win a pattern race, JRA English racecaller Murray Johnson told Racenet.com he favors the 8-year-old over Fame Game.
” Looking at the Caulfield Cup I lean towards Hokko Brave,” Johnson told Racenet. “I would expect Hokko Brave to be ahead of Fame Game in the run and [he] has a better sprint over shorter staying trips than Fame Game, and will do better in [the] Caulfield Cup than the Melbourne Cup.”
Godolphin On The Outside…
Godolphin stands a strong chance of adding this prize to its trophy case with 9-1 second choice Hauraki (Aus) (Reset {Aus}), a Group 2 winner and second to stablemate Complacent (Aus) (Authorized {Ire}) in the G3 Craven Plate last out Oct. 3, but there is also likely some frustration in that camp with Complacent drawing as the second also-eligible and Group 1 winner Magic Hurricane (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) as the fourth. Trainer John O'Shea told Racing.com Hauraki could be removed to allow Complacent a run should another camp scratch first.
“The more we look at the race, it does look as though Complacent gets a good run,” O'Shea told Racing.com. “Hauraki's primed to run the race of his life, and he's probably entitled to have that crack, to be fair. We'll give it some consideration over the next 24 hours; if that situation eventuates, we'll have a look at the track. The thing about Hauraki is he loves that ground–the firmer the better for him– whereas Complacent's probably just a little bit compromised on real firm ground.”
Khan Set To Rule Caulfield…
Last term's G1 Australian Derby hero Mongolian Khan (Aus) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) has been on the cusp of another high-level score twice this season, having finished fourth in the G1 Underwood S. Sept. 26 and third in the G1 Caulfield S. Oct. 10, and the 4-year-old is the overwhelming 9-2 favorite returning to his favorite trip. He is drawn favorably in barrier nine, and enjoys a weight break of seven pounds from top-weights Snow Sky and Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). The filly Set Square (Aus) (Reset) is the joint second-choice with Hauraki, and sneaks in with a weight of 112 pounds off a third in the G1 Turnbull S. Oct. 4. Last year's runner-up Rising Romance (NZ) (Ekraar) also holds claims at 13-1.
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