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Who’s on the spring ‘wish list’
Leigh Jordon, Racing Victoria’s international scout, is in regular contact with trainers and owners of overseas horses. He lists potential travellers to Melbourne for the spring carnival –
Wigmore Hall was an unlucky third in the G1 Dubai Duty Free (1800m) at Meydan at the end of March and will run in the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on Sunday. Trainer Michael Bell said Wigmore Hall would go to Singapore for the G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) at Kranji on May 22 and then take a break.
He ran second at Arlington (in the G1 Secretariat Stakes for 3YOs over 2000m on turf) last year and the owner’s keen to go to the US again (in August). I wouldn’t rule out the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley after that.
River Jetez ran second in the Duty Free for South African trainer Mike De Kock. Dubai-based De Kock has been here before with Greys Inn (unplaced in the 2005 Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup) and is up for coming if quarantine allows – Dubai has not signed the quarantine protocols with the Australian Government and they need their quarantine facilities approved, the old facilities having been bulldozed (with the move from Nad Al Sheba to Meydan).
One option would be to come on from Hong Kong (after the QEII Cup), or if Mike goes to Europe and has a team there he could bring one of two through Newmarket. Perhaps River Jetez or Musir (by Redoute’s Choice and seventh in the World Cup and third in the Champions Mile in Hong Kong on Monday) for the Cox Plate, or Irish Flame (a Group 1 winner in South Africa who was seventh to Godolphin’s Rewilding in the G1 Sheema Classic at Meydan) and is a possible Melbourne Cup horse.
Others looking to Melbourne include:
South African Herman Brown, who had Mourilyan, third in the 2009 Melbourne Cup, is keen to bring Mikaal Glinka (winner of the G3 Queen’s Vase, 3200m, at Ascot when trained by Aidan O’Brien, and a runner in lead-up races at Meydan) for the Melbourne Cup and/or Gitano Hernando (sixth in the World Cup when prepared at Newmarket by Marco Botti, and racing in Hong Kong on Sunday) for the Cox Plate, although he may be a Melbourne Cup horse. Damien Oliver will ride Gitano Hernando in Hong Kong.
Englishman Brian Meehan is interested in the Melbourne Cup with Dangerous Midge, who ran down the track in the Sheema Classic.
Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, is very supportive of the whole Melbourne carnival and said Godolphin would definitely be here, but was not exactly sure what they’d bring.
And Singapore’s sprinter Rocket Man is a big chance for the Patinack Farm Classic and a clash with Black Caviar up the straight at Flemington on the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.
The issue is prizemoney – Japan has the Sprinters Stakes in early October as part of the Global Sprint Challenge. It’s worth $US2 million, the travel time is less, quarantine isn’t as strenuous, and the opposition is less.
Here the prizemoney is $750,000, quarantine is a problem … and there’s Black Caviar. If we can get prizemoney up to $1 million and some other incentive such as a bonus we could entice him – I’m quietly confident.
Read the full interview with Jordon in Inside Racing, out now.
Photo: Wigmore Hall parading before the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington. (Deans Kitten photo).
Hopefully Dandino maintains his form and we see him out here. Goes around on Saturday at the Guineas meet.