THE 2018 CAULFIELD CUP – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
* Group One, 2400m handicap race for three-years and older run at Caulfield in Melbourne on October 20, 2018
* Prize money is $5 million – up $2 million from last year – and a $155,000, nine-carat gold trophy
THE FIELD
* Out of 18 runners only three, Ace High, Mighty Boss and Youngstar, had their first start in Australia while six are internationally trained.
* The Chris Waller-trained Youngstar and Darren Weir’s Kings Will Dream are the favourites
HISTORY
* First run in 1879 by the Victorian Amateur Turf Club (VATC)
* Switched from autumn to spring in 1881 when two cups were held, one for each season, while the race was again run twice in 1943 due to a large number of entries
* In 1885, 25-year-old jockey Donald Nicolson died in the worst fall in Australia’s history when 15 out of 44 horses came down as they turned into the straight
* Open to Australian and New Zealand horses only until 1998
TALKING POINTS
* 11 horses have completed the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double in the same year, the last being Ethereal (2001)
* Five is the most number of wins by a jockey, Scobie Breasley, who won four cups in a row from 1942 to 1945.
* Seven is the most number of wins by a trainer, Bart Cummings.
* Only two horses have won the race back to back, Poseidon (1906-07) and Rising Fast (1954-55)
* International winners include Taufan’s Melody (1998), All the Good (2008), Dunaden ( 2012) and Admire Rakti ( 2014)
* Three female trainers have had winners including Lady Herries with Taufan’s Melody (1998), Sheila Laxon with Ethereal (2001) and Gai Waterhouse with Descarado (2010)
* The shortest placed winner was Tulloch (1957) at $1.67
WHAT THE CONNECTIONS ARE SAYING
* “I’m very happy with the way Youngstar has prepared. She’s showing she’s up to the class and she’s going to be better suited to a handicap on Saturday” – Chris Waller on Youngstar
* “He’s done everything asked of him but he’s not a horse that shows you much at home but come race day that’s when he shapes up” – David Payne on Ace High
* “You have to have your wits about you, almost go on the fly a bit and see how it’s unfolding every furlong as it shapes. It’s a different race to any other” – Youngstar’s jockey Kerrin McEvoy
* “This horse isn’t bad out of the stalls, so hopefully drawing one will get him a good break and a nice position on the rail,” Anna Lisa Balding, wife of UK trainer Andrew Balding, on Duretto.
* “He’s so tough, he doesn’t know how to lay down that horse. I think he’s a fantastic chance in that race,” Nick Williams, owner of Homesman.
Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au
