Australia: strong ex-European contingent out to enhance Melbourne Cup claims with positive showing in Caulfield Cup

With less than three weeks to go until the Lexus Melbourne Cup, several key contenders are seeking to emulate last year’s winner Without A Fight by taking the Group 1 Caulfield Cup before capturing Australia’s greatest race.

Without A Fight nailed West Wind Blows on the line in last year’s Caulfield Cup and went on to run out an impressive winner of the Melbourne Cup over half a mile further.

Not all of those lining up at Caulfield, ten miles south-east of Flemington racecourse, will return for the Melbourne Cup, but Saturday’s runners Land Legend, Warmonger and Zardozi are among the better-fancied home contenders behind Irish hopes Vauban, Absurde and Jan Brueghel.

Land Legend started his career in Britain for James Ferguson before owner Boniface Ho switched him to Australia last year. The four-year-old defeated Zardozi by a nose in the Group 1 Metropolitan Handicap last time out.

Zardozi will be partnered by Andrea Atzeni for the first time on Saturday and trainer James Cummings said: “There’s no doubt she’s the most promising young stayer in our stable and our only nomination in the Melbourne Cup. She’s not a big mare but what she lacks in stride length she makes up for in heart. She’s going to need a bit of heart if she’s going to overcome some of these tougher, more seasoned imported European stayers. 

“We watched Andrea win the Sydney Cup on Circle Of Fire and he’s won an Ebor. A rider with soft hands who has the European riding style, who could suit a horse like her, could be a bit of a weapon.”

Andrea Atzeni: riding in the Caulfield CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

Other notable ex-European runners set to line up in the Caulfield Cup are Buckaroo, successful in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes last month, Derby fifth Sayedaty Sadaty, Circle Of Fire and Duke De Sessa.

The Caulfield Cup is one of three Group 1s taking place on Saturday with Randwick in Sydney hosting the King Charles III Stakes and The Everest, worth A$20 million (£10.3m/€12.3m).

This year’s running of The Everest will be the first as a Group 1 after it was controversially upgraded unilaterally by Australian racing authorities from a conditions contest. The move was part of a proposed suite of changes to lift the classification of more than 80 races in the nation, although fears have been expressed that Australia could be demoted to book 2 status by the international stud book if going ahead with upgrades without proper approval.

Giga Kick, winner of the race in 2022, is among the 12 runners, as is Traffic Warden, who will be partnered by Jamie Kah.

“We could not have him any better, he’s been deliberately set for The Everest,” James Cummings said. “Jamie was delighted with the way he galloped on Tuesday and said he felt terrific. I haven’t seen the horse go better.”

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