3 minute read
Japan Cup; Gai Waterhouse; Wez Hunter; Railway Stakes; Happy Birthday Bart; Lloyd Wiliams; Paul Harvey; Belle Couture; Kiwi Homecoming
The 2011 Melbourne Cup winner leaves Melbourne on Tuesday with his old mate Red Cadeaux and Simenon for Tokyo where they will run in the $5.6 million Japan Cup on November 24.
Dunaden, only 11th under the topweight in last Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, won the Hong Kong Vase in 2011 and was fifth in 2012.
Arch rival Red Cadeaux, a grand second in last week's Melbourne Cup for the second time, has also been a Vase runner for the past two years, running third in 2011 and winning the race last year.
However he also knows his way around Fuchu as he finished eighth in last year's Japan Cup before going on to win at Sha Tin and trainer Ed Dunlop has not ruled out following the same path this year with the evergreen veteran.
Simenon, fourth in the Melbourne Cup after his Herbert Power third, is also getting more international experience with his Irish trainer Willie Mullins electing to take him home via a Japan Cup start.
The Melbourne Cup runners confirmed for the Hong Kong Vase on December 8 are Mount Athos (third) and Dandino (fifth).
• Gai Waterhouse has turned her attention to Perth after deciding not to pursue a trip to Hong Kong with her import Tres Bleu and stablemate Julienas.
Tres Bleu and Julienas were nominated for the HK Cup and HK Vase but they have now been spelled.
Waterhouse will now focus on the Perth carnival where he first runner will be the last start Randwick winner Vitello in the WA Guineas at Ascot on Saturday week.
Vitello has WA owners and will be taking on a strong field of local three-year-olds led by Saint Bro, the ruling favourite after his win in the Fairetha Stakes at Ascot last Saturday.
Waterhouse is also looking for a big finish to the Melbourne spring with Queenstown and Equator set to run at Caulfield on Saturday in the Zipping Classic and Sandown Guineas.
• WEZ Hunter, the rookie trainer who made a big impact on the spring carnival, has a racing history to rival his stable star Smokin' Joey.
Smokin' Joey came to Hunter only a month ago after passing through the stables of Lee Freedman, Anthony Freedman and Mick Price.
The trainer has also been through his share of varied racing roles, including five years as foreman for trainer Tony Noonan and serving as top jockey Nash Rawiller driver to country race meetings in Victoria.
Smokin' Joey was unlucky not to win the G1 Emirates Stakes at Flemington last Saturday after a wide run on a seven day back up from his dominant win on the first day of Cup Week.
He will be a big chance in the $500,000 Railway Stakes at Ascot on Saturday week if he takes that form to Perth.
• OTHER Cup Week runners set for the Railway include Longport, Plucky Belle and Strike The Stars.
Peter Moody's late entry Plucky Belle is set to join stablemate Moment Of Change and other Ascot entries on a charter flight to Perth next Monday.
• BART Cummings celebrates his 86th birthday on Thursday.
A second win in a week by Precedence in Saturday's G2 Zipping Classic at Caulfield will be the perfect present for the great one after his thrilling win last Saturday's Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
* LLOYD Williams will not have a starter in the race named after his former grand performer Zipping at Caulfield on Saturday.
However he still has a card or two to play on Saturday as one of his new imports Hartani, the winner of three of his six starts in Ireland for John Oxx including the G3 Curragh Cup in 2012, is set to make his Australian debut in the Eclipse Stakes.
• CHAMPION jockey Paul Harvey, a hero with Perth punters, is set to resume riding at Ascot on Saturday.
Harvey has been absent for six week recovering from a fractured knuckle suffered in a barrier accident.
Another top Perth rider Troy Turner copped a 12-day careless riding suspension last Saturday but will be back in time for the Super Saturday meeting on November 23.
• THERE will be nothing secretive about the preparation Black Caviar's kid sister Belle Couture will receive in the build up to her planned debut next month.
Belle Couture is in work at Flemington with Danny O'Brien and according to the trainer the $2.6 million Redoute's Choice filly will be seen in an official barrier trial before she makes her debut.
“She looks great and will be trialling in a couple of weeks,” O'Brien said.
“She's outstanding. As we get closer to running her you get more excited.”
• THIS week's New Zealand Cup carnival at Riccarton will be boosted by the presence of some notable Australian-based Kiwis.
Trainer Chris Waller and riders James McDonald, Jason Collett and Daniel Stackhouse will be looking for winners at the South Island's biggest meetings of the year.
McDonald, after riding at Avondale on Monday, has mounts on Wednesday's Riccarton card and stays on to ride Miss Foxwood for Roger James in Saturday's 1000 Guineas.
Collett also rode a couple of horses trained by his father Richard at Avondale before heading to Christchurch where he rides Coup Ay Tee for Chris Waller in Wednesday's G2 Coupland Bakeries Mile.
A win by Coup Ay Tee will be significant for Waller as he hasn't had a runner in a New Zealand race for nine years.
Stackhouse, now firmly established in Melbourne, is hoping for a successful homecoming as he hails from the Canterbury region.
He also has rides at Riccarton on Wednesday and is booked for the Mark Oulaghan-trained Rising Tide in Saturday's New Zealand Cup.
