Melbourne Cup Weights released
The three horses responsible for the best staying performances in the world over the past twelve months head the weights for the 2008 BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) released today.Champion Irish stayer Yeats, which this season won his third straight Ascot Gold Cup (4000m), heads the Melbourne Cup weights for the third year in a row with 59kg. This is the same weight he carried to finish seventh in 2006.Stablemate Septimus, crowned the champion stayer of Europe in 2007, was allotted 58.5kg in both Cups and heads the weights for the Caulfield Cup. The Aidan O'Brien-trained star has built up an impressive record in Europe's feature staying events but is yet to win at Group 1 level.Reigning Melbourne Cup champion Efficient will carry 58kg in his bid to become just the sixth horse in history to win the race more than once. The John Sadler-trained five-year-old was allotted 54kg last year and the 4kg increase includes a 2.5kg penalty for last year's win. This is the same penalty given to Makybe Diva in 2005 and Delta Blues in 2007.Australia's newly-crowned Horse of the Year, Weekend Hussler, has received 55.5kg in both Cups. “In the last 15 years only Octagonal (56.5kg in 1996) and Mahogany (56kg in 1994) have received more weight as four-year-olds in the Cups,” said Racing Victoria's Chief Handicapper Greg Carpenter. “Like Weekend Hussler, both Octagonal and Mahogany had won six Group 1 races prior to weights being released, however Octagonal had won the Cox Plate, Tancred Stakes and AJC Derby, and Mahogany had won the VRC Derby and AJC Derby.” The six-time Group One winner, prepared by Ross McDonald, is weighted to carry 2.5 kilos below weight-for-age for a four-year-old in the Melbourne Cup and two kilograms under weight-for-age in the Caulfield Cup. Weekend Hussler is yet to race beyond 1600 metres. In the Caulfield Cup, last year's winner Master O'Reilly will be asked to carry 55kg in his bid to become the seventh multiple winner of the race.Of the other key international entries the Luca Cumani-trained Mad Rush and Bauer have received 53.5kg and 51kg respectively in both races, while the Godolphin trained All The Good will carry 53kg. Darley Australian Cup winner Sirmione received 56kg and Brisbane Cup winner Viewed, 53kg. The pair provide the best hope for Cups King Bart Cummings to claim his 12th Melbourne Cup.New Zealand Derby winner C'est La Guerre, VRC Derby winner Kibbutz and AJC Derby winner Nom De Jeu all received 54kg. Australia's champion filly of last season and AJC Oaks winner Heavenly Glow was allotted 52.5kg, Australasian Oaks and SA Derby winner Zarita received 52kg, as did New Zealand Oaks winner Boundless, while Riva San, winner of the Queensland Oaks-Derby double, received 51.5kg.
Weekend Hussler to Line Up against Light Fantastic in this weekend's Makybe Diva Stakes
Jockey Brad Rawiller believes the timing is right for Weekend Hussler heading into this Saturday's Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
Rawiller is confident that backing up from last week's victory in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) won't be a problem for the Australian Racehorse of the Year despite him failing in the Emirates Stakes last November on a seven-day turnaround. He said Weekend Hussler still had a lot of improvement in him this campaign and that the Makybe Diva (1600m) would give him a perfect lead-in to the Group One Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield a fortnight later. "He won the other day on class and is looking for further," Rawiller said. "It will suit him better (running in the Makybe Diva) with two weeks to the Underwood and set him up for the rest of his preparation."
Rawiller said Weekend Hussler would improve with every challenge that came his way in the spring. "He is not at his best yet," Rawiller said. "We don't want him peaking now as there is still a long way to go but he is right on track for everything that comes his way."
The Makybe Diva Stakes will be Weekend Hussler's third run this campaign and a chance for him have another crack at Light Fantastic who beat him first-up in the Liston Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 16. Light Fantastic's trainier Mick Price said that Light Fantastic looked sharp in a track gallop on Monday, and said that the horse had benefitted from it's win in the JJ Liston Stakes. Price has said that Light Fantastic's goal is the Cox Plate, and the Makybe Diva stakes is only a stepping stone towards that race. To date, Light Fantastic has never lost a race.
Also lining up in the Makybe Diva Stakes, will be last year's Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilley, and Melbourne Cup winner, Efficient, as wellas the David Hayes trained winner of last years Victoria Derby, Kibbutz. It promises to be a very exciting race on Saturday.
Horse of the Year Awards
As expected, Weekend Hussler has been named Australia's Racehorse of the Year for 2007-08 after an amazing season during which he equalled the record of Kingston Town with six Group One wins. Weekend Hussler earned 82 per cent of the overall votes from racing administrators and journalists to become the first horse since Octagonal in 1995-96 to be honoured for his three-year-old season. Less than six weeks after winning a maiden at Cranbourne on September 2, 2007, Weekend Hussler won the first of the Group Ones, the Caulfield Guineas (1600m)and claimed the Ascot Vale (1200m) at his next start. He really shone in the autumn when he was undefeated in four starts - the Oakleigh Plate (1100m), the Newmarket Handicap (1200m), the Randwick Guineas (1600m) and the George Ryder Stakes (1500m) where he defeated Sydney star Racing To Win.
He had to share the limelight with a veteran with 80-year-old Cups King Bart Cummings elevated to Legend status in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame alongside last year's inductee Phar Lap. Cummings has rewritten the record books in Australian racing since winning the first of his 11 Melbourne Cups with Light Fingers in 1965.
Seven racing icons were also officially inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
Champion mares of the past Tranquil Star and Wenona Girl were joined by associate Percy Miller, trainers Bob Hoysted and David Hayes and champion jockeys Frank Dempsey and Damien Oliver.
The full list of champions for 2007-08:
Group One jockey: Corey Brown
Group One trainer: Ross McDonald
International Performer: Takeover Target
Jumper: Some Are Bent
Sire: Encosta de Lago
Two-year-old: Sebring
Three-year-old filly: Heavenly Glow
Three-year-old colt/gelding: Weekend Hussler
Sprinter: Apache Cat
Middle Distance Performer: El Segundo
Stayer: Efficient
Australian Racehorse of the Year: Weekend Hussler
Melbourne Cup to Tour the World
The Melbourne Cup goes global this month when the $125,000 trophy tours Ireland, England and Dubai weeks before the international horses arrive for the Spring Carnival.
The Cup will visit the Curragh racecourse in Kildare, the home of Irish racing, on September 13 before travelling to London and Dubai as the Victoria Racing Club promotes the race that stops Australia to a wider market. The Irish are already very familiar with the Cup after local horses Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle came home with the trophy in 1993 and 2002.
The three horses responsible for the best staying performances in the world over the past twelve months head the weights for the 2008 BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) released today.Champion Irish stayer Yeats, which this season won his third straight Ascot Gold Cup (4000m), heads the Melbourne Cup weights for the third year in a row with 59kg. This is the same weight he carried to finish seventh in 2006.Stablemate Septimus, crowned the champion stayer of Europe in 2007, was allotted 58.5kg in both Cups and heads the weights for the Caulfield Cup. The Aidan O'Brien-trained star has built up an impressive record in Europe's feature staying events but is yet to win at Group 1 level.Reigning Melbourne Cup champion Efficient will carry 58kg in his bid to become just the sixth horse in history to win the race more than once. The John Sadler-trained five-year-old was allotted 54kg last year and the 4kg increase includes a 2.5kg penalty for last year's win. This is the same penalty given to Makybe Diva in 2005 and Delta Blues in 2007.Australia's newly-crowned Horse of the Year, Weekend Hussler, has received 55.5kg in both Cups. “In the last 15 years only Octagonal (56.5kg in 1996) and Mahogany (56kg in 1994) have received more weight as four-year-olds in the Cups,” said Racing Victoria's Chief Handicapper Greg Carpenter. “Like Weekend Hussler, both Octagonal and Mahogany had won six Group 1 races prior to weights being released, however Octagonal had won the Cox Plate, Tancred Stakes and AJC Derby, and Mahogany had won the VRC Derby and AJC Derby.” The six-time Group One winner, prepared by Ross McDonald, is weighted to carry 2.5 kilos below weight-for-age for a four-year-old in the Melbourne Cup and two kilograms under weight-for-age in the Caulfield Cup. Weekend Hussler is yet to race beyond 1600 metres. In the Caulfield Cup, last year's winner Master O'Reilly will be asked to carry 55kg in his bid to become the seventh multiple winner of the race.Of the other key international entries the Luca Cumani-trained Mad Rush and Bauer have received 53.5kg and 51kg respectively in both races, while the Godolphin trained All The Good will carry 53kg. Darley Australian Cup winner Sirmione received 56kg and Brisbane Cup winner Viewed, 53kg. The pair provide the best hope for Cups King Bart Cummings to claim his 12th Melbourne Cup.New Zealand Derby winner C'est La Guerre, VRC Derby winner Kibbutz and AJC Derby winner Nom De Jeu all received 54kg. Australia's champion filly of last season and AJC Oaks winner Heavenly Glow was allotted 52.5kg, Australasian Oaks and SA Derby winner Zarita received 52kg, as did New Zealand Oaks winner Boundless, while Riva San, winner of the Queensland Oaks-Derby double, received 51.5kg.
Weekend Hussler to Line Up against Light Fantastic in this weekend's Makybe Diva Stakes
Jockey Brad Rawiller believes the timing is right for Weekend Hussler heading into this Saturday's Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
Rawiller is confident that backing up from last week's victory in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) won't be a problem for the Australian Racehorse of the Year despite him failing in the Emirates Stakes last November on a seven-day turnaround. He said Weekend Hussler still had a lot of improvement in him this campaign and that the Makybe Diva (1600m) would give him a perfect lead-in to the Group One Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield a fortnight later. "He won the other day on class and is looking for further," Rawiller said. "It will suit him better (running in the Makybe Diva) with two weeks to the Underwood and set him up for the rest of his preparation."
Rawiller said Weekend Hussler would improve with every challenge that came his way in the spring. "He is not at his best yet," Rawiller said. "We don't want him peaking now as there is still a long way to go but he is right on track for everything that comes his way."
The Makybe Diva Stakes will be Weekend Hussler's third run this campaign and a chance for him have another crack at Light Fantastic who beat him first-up in the Liston Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 16. Light Fantastic's trainier Mick Price said that Light Fantastic looked sharp in a track gallop on Monday, and said that the horse had benefitted from it's win in the JJ Liston Stakes. Price has said that Light Fantastic's goal is the Cox Plate, and the Makybe Diva stakes is only a stepping stone towards that race. To date, Light Fantastic has never lost a race.
Also lining up in the Makybe Diva Stakes, will be last year's Caulfield Cup winner Master O'Reilley, and Melbourne Cup winner, Efficient, as wellas the David Hayes trained winner of last years Victoria Derby, Kibbutz. It promises to be a very exciting race on Saturday.
Horse of the Year Awards
As expected, Weekend Hussler has been named Australia's Racehorse of the Year for 2007-08 after an amazing season during which he equalled the record of Kingston Town with six Group One wins. Weekend Hussler earned 82 per cent of the overall votes from racing administrators and journalists to become the first horse since Octagonal in 1995-96 to be honoured for his three-year-old season. Less than six weeks after winning a maiden at Cranbourne on September 2, 2007, Weekend Hussler won the first of the Group Ones, the Caulfield Guineas (1600m)and claimed the Ascot Vale (1200m) at his next start. He really shone in the autumn when he was undefeated in four starts - the Oakleigh Plate (1100m), the Newmarket Handicap (1200m), the Randwick Guineas (1600m) and the George Ryder Stakes (1500m) where he defeated Sydney star Racing To Win.
He had to share the limelight with a veteran with 80-year-old Cups King Bart Cummings elevated to Legend status in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame alongside last year's inductee Phar Lap. Cummings has rewritten the record books in Australian racing since winning the first of his 11 Melbourne Cups with Light Fingers in 1965.
Seven racing icons were also officially inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
Champion mares of the past Tranquil Star and Wenona Girl were joined by associate Percy Miller, trainers Bob Hoysted and David Hayes and champion jockeys Frank Dempsey and Damien Oliver.
The full list of champions for 2007-08:
Group One jockey: Corey Brown
Group One trainer: Ross McDonald
International Performer: Takeover Target
Jumper: Some Are Bent
Sire: Encosta de Lago
Two-year-old: Sebring
Three-year-old filly: Heavenly Glow
Three-year-old colt/gelding: Weekend Hussler
Sprinter: Apache Cat
Middle Distance Performer: El Segundo
Stayer: Efficient
Australian Racehorse of the Year: Weekend Hussler
Melbourne Cup to Tour the World
The Melbourne Cup goes global this month when the $125,000 trophy tours Ireland, England and Dubai weeks before the international horses arrive for the Spring Carnival.
The Cup will visit the Curragh racecourse in Kildare, the home of Irish racing, on September 13 before travelling to London and Dubai as the Victoria Racing Club promotes the race that stops Australia to a wider market. The Irish are already very familiar with the Cup after local horses Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle came home with the trophy in 1993 and 2002.
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