October
NovemberPlodder update
TVN’s international racing expert Adrian Dunn used his Winning Post column on June 29 to pan the Melbourne Cup credentials of Simenon, a dual winner at Royal Ascot in 2012.
Following Simenon’s second to Estimate in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup (4000m), Dunn said Simenon didn’t "fit the profile of the modern-day international raider" and that "marathon plodders like Simenon no longer cut it as bona-fide contenders."
Dunn then asserted that Simenon would struggle to get a run in the Melbourne Cup, as he believed that Greg Carpenter "at his most benevolent" would struggle to allocate him any more than 52kg.
Dunn wrote that trainer Willie Mullins shouldn’t rely on Simenon to purchase his ticket.
Simenon carried 53.5kg in the Melbourne Cup and ran fourth, collecting $250,000 for his connections — approximately four times the expense of his trip to Melbourne.
Now I read that connections of Fiorente, arguably the most talented and versatile horse in Australia currently, are strongly considering running him in next year’s Ascot Gold Cup.
If he were to travel to England that’d really challenge the stereotype that the Ascot Gold Cup is solely contested by plodders!
Surrey Hills (Vic)