KIRKLEES IMPRESSIVE IN FINAL WORKOUT FOR SATURDAY'S CUP
JOCKEY Kerrin McEvoy is at least as confident going into Saturday’s $2.5 BMW Caulfield Cup as he was last year when he won the race for Godolphin on All The Good.
McEvoy rode Kirklees in his final cup hit-out at Sandown this morning (Monday) and said it was
“nice work that will top him off for Saturday.”
Kirklees went from the 1600 metres with stablemate Crime Scene and they picked up the pace
from the 1400 metres, finishing off strongly in the straight with Kirklees about a length in front.
McEvoy said Kirklees goes into the race with a much better record than All The Good had last
year, when he saluted at big odds.
“He’s a progressive horse and looks like he’s going to be able to take up a forward position,”
McEvoy said, “It’s going to be great putting on the (Godolphin) blue colours again.”
Godolphin’s travelling foreman Tommy Strang said that Kirklees and Crime Scene, which will run
in the Geelong Cup on 21 October, had ‘’chilled out’’ since they arrived in Melbourne.
He said that both horses were just under their usual racing weight but it was no concern because
All The Good was the same last year.
In other news, Luca Cumani’s Caulfield Cup hope Cima De Triomphe, ridden by his wife Sarah, quickened up noticeably in the second of two gallops over about 1000 metres this morning.
It has not yet been confirmed if jockey Damien Oliver will test Cima De Triomphe again before
Saturday.
David Hayes has wasted no time in getting Changingoftheguard onto the track after his arrival in
Melbourne on Saturday.
Hayes was “shocked” at how well Changingoftheguard looked when he saw him yesterday (Sunday) and his foreman Gary Fennessy was on hand when the lightly-raced four-year-old went onto the track for the first time this morning.
Fennessy said Changingoftheguard, ridden by his handler Lizzie Jelfs, just had a trot and a look
around.
The former Sir Michael Stoute-trained Warringah, which is joining the Chris Waller stable, also
went onto the track, but the other latest arrivals Mourilyan, Bankable and Munsef will wait until
tomorrow morning before properly stretching their legs after their 47 hour trip.
HAYES MORE THAN HAPPY WITH INTERNATIONAL HOPEFUL
HALL of Fame trainer David Hayes was pleasantly surprised when he had his first look in nearly three months at his stable’s latest acquisition Changingoftheguard at Sandown on Sunday morning.
"I’m shocked at how well he looks, particularly after such a long trip, he must be a good doer to
arrive like that," Hayes said.
The former Aidan O’Brien-trained Changingoftheguard arrived in Melbourne on Saturday with
Mourilyan, Bankable, Munsef and Warringah after a 40 hour plus journey from England via
Copenhagen, Abu Dhabi and Singapore.
Hayes had last seen Changingoftheguard in July when he was on a “shopping” trip to England and
Ireland in search of an Emirates Melbourne Cup hope for this year or next.
“After he was unluckily beaten in the Ebor (in August) I didn’t think I’d be able to buy him then he
failed in the English St. Leger and I put in an offer,’’ Hayes said.
Now Hayes will decide in the next few days whether to press on for this year’s Melbourne Cup with
Changingoftheguard or run him in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington on 31 October
and wait until next year’s 150th anniversary of the great race.
"I’m keeping my options open and we’ll just see how he does over the next few days but we’ll keep
paying up for him," he said.
The handlers of the other horses on the flight all reported they seemed to have coped very well
with the delays along the way and they expected they would be out on the track within a day or so.
RACING VICTORIA MEDIA RELEASES.
Media Contact: Rebecca Elliott – RVL PR Co-ordinator M: 0447 581 706 P: (03) 9258 4628
E: r,This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
