MORNINGTON TO MELBOURNE FOR LORD?
March 20, 2021
Highclere Australia hopes Saturday's Mornington Cup can lay the foundation for a massive spring for Cups contender Lord Belvedere.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained import can secure a ballot exemption for October's Caulfield Cup with victory at Mornington, with the international syndication company hopeful that he could line up in the 2021 Melbourne Cup.
"One of the UK owners of Lord Belvedere said to me last week, if he was back at home and returning to racing, he'd be racing for £20,000 on the Kempton all-weather," Highclere's racing manager Andrew Hawkins said.
"Instead, he's racing for $350,000 with the added carrot of a berth in a $5 million race. It is easy to see why there is so much interest from UK owners wanting to race in Australia.
"He's coming along well. He galloped at Moonee Valley recently with Persan and that form was obviously franked last weekend. He trialed well at Cranbourne on Monday and I think he's ready to run a big race.
"He has that form through Chapada and Persan last year that suggests he should be competitive in a race of this nature. He flies fresh and it was decided that it was the best option for him to head straight to the mile-and-a-half, rather than wasting time by gradually increasing his distances.
"There are plenty of options for him - the Warrnambool Cup is one that jumps out, while he still holds a Sydney Cup entry.
"I think he will probably end up in Brisbane on Stradbroke Day - the Brisbane Cup looks a good chance to test him at two miles, especially with the Melbourne Cup on his agenda later in the year."
While Lord Belvedere is the most logical Melbourne Cup contender for Highclere at this stage, Hawkins believes there could be an even better candidate already based in Victoria.
"Durston (pictured) suffered a tendon injury at Royal Ascot last year, but he's gone through his rehabilitation down here," Hawkins said.
"He's lightly raced and a very talented horse with a terrific turn of foot. I still don't know how he lost at Glorious Goodwood in 2019, but the form was franked with Sir Ron Priestley coming out and running second in the St Leger.
"He clearly had the measure of horses like Le Don De Vie and Skymax when right and we've seen them perform at Stakes level down here.
"There's always a question mark over horses coming back from tendon injuries, but he has done a lot of treadmill work and he was back under saddle earlier this week for the first time since he was injured.
"Ciaron and David and the team deserve plenty of credit because he looks absolutely outstanding and I hope that we will see him return to the races over the winter.
"We've also got Great House too - he is still so immature and it showed last weekend. He's gone for a spell, which I think will do him the world of good at this point.
"I know a lot of people were quick to sack him after his effort last weekend, but it's been proven time and time again that Galileos simply don't go on quick ground and it was very firm at Rosehill.
"His immaturity only exacerbated the problem. It was only his sixth start and I'm very confident he'll return a better horse next preparation."
Copy: Racing.com