2010 Melbourne Cup placegetter who is a favourite of Australian punters. His spring of 2010 was incredible – I still remember being at Canterbury six weeks before the Melbourne Cup when Maluckyday won a restricted race by five lengths. Three races later, he was a Melbourne Cup runner up, after he’d won the Listed Tattersalls City Cup at Randwick and the Lexus Stakes at Flemington. He was widely touted as Australia’s best chance of wresting back the Melbourne Cup, but after an indifferent autumn in 2011, he got very sick and looked like he would never race again.

When he returned in the Memsie at the start of September, it was a victory in itself. But he’s actually shown quite good form this time in, even if he’s not going as well as he was in 2010. His last two, especially, were brilliant. He should have won the Bart Cummings easily, but Dwayne Dunn couldn’t decide where to go on him. He went inside, he went outside, he went back inside, and when he knuckled down he really hit the line well. It was the same in the Geelong Cup, when they cantered in front. He had no hope the way the race was run, but he still flew home.

The question is, how does his form measure up compared to others? I’m not sure Bart Cummings and Geelong Cup form will measure up, although he’ll appreciate the 5kg weight drop. There are others I prefer, but he’s a rough chance.

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Breeding: Zabeel x Yachtie
Bred in: New Zealand
Nationality: Australia
Trainer: Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes
Jockey: Jim Cassidy
Weight: 53.5kg
Career Stats: 17:5-3-2
Last 5 Starts: 8×8025
Biggest Win: Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m), Flemington, 30/10/2011
Age: 6
Sportsbet Fixed Odds (as at 7pm, Sunday November 4): $13