After a substandard Caulfield Cup last year, the Melbourne Racing Club would be delighted with the field assembled for this year’s running of the world’s toughest handicap at 2400m.
The field contains last year’s winner in Southern Speed and two Melbourne Cup winners in Americain and Dunaden.
In addition, horses like last year’s Caulfield Cup favourite in December Draw, two American Group 1 winners in Winchester and Sanagas, a Dubai Sheema Classic placegetter in Jakkalberry, an Italian Group 1 winner in Voila Ici, the winners of the Sydney Cup (Niwot), Brisbane Cup (Lights of Heaven) and Epsom Handicap (Secret Admirer) and a South Australian Derby winner in Zabeelionaire make this one of the better Caulfield Cups of recent years.
In the end, the Melbourne Racing Club committee had to decide between Alcopop, Moudre and Sabrage to fill the final two places.
They selected last weekend’s Caulfield Stakes runner-up Alcopop and Queen’s Cup winner Moudre, with the Group 1-placed Sabrage relegated to first emergency.
They also decided Gatewood – luckless when seventh in the Herbert Power Stakes – would be the second emergency, ahead of Luca Cumani’s Ibicenco.
Both are owned by Terry Henderson and Simon O’Donnell’s OTI Racing.
2010 Melbourne Cup runner-up Maluckyday, who had not passed the first ballot clause for the Caulfield Cup but is safely in the Melbourne Cup, was eliminated from the race.
He will now have to go to Geelong or Moonee Valley as his final lead up to the Melbourne Cup.
The barrier draw for the traditional Melbourne Cup lead-up will be held at 11am tomorrow at Caulfield Racecourse, prior to Thousand Guineas Day.
Here is the final field for the $2.5m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m):
1. AMERICAIN
Trainer: Alain de Royer-Dupre
Jockey: Gerald Mosse
Weight: 58kg
Last 5 Starts: 1x326x6
Biggest Win: Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), Flemington, 2/11/2010
2. DUNADEN
Trainer: Mikel Delzangles
Jockey: Craig Williams
Weight: 58kg
Last 5 Starts: 1×3326
Biggest Win: Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), Flemington, 1/11/2011
3. JAKKALBERRY
Trainer: Marco Botti
Jockey: Colm O’Donoghue
Weight: 55.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 73351
Biggest Win: Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano (2400m), San Siro (Milan, Italy), 13/6/2010
4. WINCHESTER
Trainer: John Sadler
Jockey: Jamie Mott
Weight: 55.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 153×99
Biggest Win: Group 1 Manhattan Handicap (1 1/4m – a2000m), Belmont Park (New York, United States), 5/6/2010
5. DECEMBER DRAW
Trainer: Mark Kavanagh
Jockey: Michael Rodd
Weight: 55kg
Last 5 Starts: 10×833
Biggest Win: Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m), Flemington, 2/10/2011
6. VOILA ICI
Trainer: Peter Moody
Jockey: Vlad Duric
Weight: 55kg
Last 5 Starts: 43×624
Biggest Win: Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano (2400m), San Siro (Milan, Italy), 12/6/2011
7. SOUTHERN SPEED
Trainer: Leon McDonald and Andrew Gluyas
Jockey: Nash Rawiller
Weight: 54.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 31140
Biggest Win: Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), Caulfield, 15/10/2011
8. SANAGAS
Trainer: Bart Cummings
Jockey: Nicholas Hall
Weight: 54kg
Last 5 Starts: 16×006
Biggest Win: Group 1 Hollywood Turf Club (1 1/2m – a2400m), Hollywood Park (Los Angeles, United States), 19/11/2011
9. GLENCADAM GOLD
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse
Jockey: Jim Cassidy
Weight: 53.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 0×1111
Biggest Win: Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m), Royal Randwick, 06/10/2012
10. MY QUEST FOR PEACE
Trainer: Luca Cumani
Jockey: Corey Brown
Weight: 53.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 24011
Biggest Win: Group 3 Glorious Stakes (1m 4f – a2400m), Goodwood (Chichester, United Kingdom), 3/8/2012
11. NIWOT
Trainer: Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes
Jockey: Dwayne Dunn
Weight: 53.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 41×008
Biggest Win: Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m), Royal Randwick, 28/4/2012
12. LIGHTS OF HEAVEN
Trainer: Peter Moody
Jockey: Luke Nolen
Weight: 53kg
Last 5 Starts: 11093
Biggest Win: Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m), Morphettville, 26/3/2011
13. SECRET ADMIRER
Trainer: Grahame Begg
Jockey: Brenton Avdulla
Weight: 53kg
Last 5 Starts: 3×2235
Biggest Win: Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m), Royal Randwick, 1/10/2011
14. SNEAK A PEEK
Trainer: Peter Moody
Jockey: Glen Boss
Weight: 53kg
Last 5 Starts: 16×857
Biggest Win: Group 2 Premio Federico Tesio (2200m), San Siro (Milan, Italy), 18/9/2011
15. ALCOPOP
Trainer: Jake Stephens
Jockey: Dom Tourneur
Weight: 52.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 78972
Biggest Win: Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m), Caulfield, 10/10/2009
16. MOUDRE
Trainer: Ciaron Maher
Jockey: Kerrin McEvoy
Weight: 52.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 089×30
Biggest Win: Group 3 Queen’s Cup (2600m), Flemington, 6/11/2010
17. FOLDING GEAR
Trainer: Lee and Shannon Hope
Jockey: Ben Melham
Weight: 52kg
Last 5 Starts: 13×001
Biggest Win: Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m), Caulfield, 22/9/2012
18. ZABEELIONAIRE
Trainer: Leon Corstens
Jockey: Craig Newitt
Weight: 52kg
Last 5 Starts: 16×970
Biggest Win: Group 1 South Australian Derby (2400m), Morphettville, 5/5/2012
19. SABRAGE (first emergency)
Trainer: Mike Moroney
Jockey: not notified
Weight: 51kg
Last 5 Starts: 2×0655
Biggest Win: Group 3 Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m), Caulfield, 15/10/2011
20. GATEWOOD (second emergency)
Trainer: John Gosden
Jockey: not notified
Weight: 51.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 11327
Biggest Win: Listed Wolferton Handicap (1m 2f – a2000m), Ascot (United Kingdom), 22/6/2012
21. IBICENCO (third emergency)
Trainer: Luca Cumani
Jockey: not notified
Weight: 51.5kg
Last 5 Starts: 32×427
Biggest Win: 3yo Plate (2080m), Bremen (Germany), 22/4/2011
22. FICTIONAL ACCOUNT (fourth emergency)
Trainer: David Hayes
Jockey: not notified
Weight: 50kg
Last 5 Starts: 64×920
Biggest Win: Listed Irish St Leger Trial Stakes (1m 6f – a2800m), The Curragh (Kildare, Ireland), 20/8/2011