October
SeptemberHere they come
Adrian Dunn (20/9) suggests the memory of the 2006 Melbourne Cup may have played a role in the weighting of Admire Rakti (58kg) and Bande (56.5kg) this year.
I believe the handicapper has done a good job of rating the Japanese challengers.
We consistently see Group 3 stayers from Europe coming out and competing strongly in our best distance races. I’d suggest the Japanese staying form is at least as good.
Admire Rakti was within a length of Gentildonna in last year’s Japan Cup, giving the great mare two kilos at weight-for-age.
I shudder to think what Gentildonna at her best would do in this year’s Melbourne Cup with 56kg.
Since then, the lightly raced Bande has finished a neck from Admire Rakti in a good Group 2 3000-metre race, and Bande meets the other horse half a kilo better in the Cup.
The Japanese have been here three times. The first time, with no prior guide to our conditions, they ran a head second in the Caulfield Cup (Eye Popper). The second time, as we all know, they finished third and seventh in the Caulfield Cup then destroyed their opposition at Flemington. The only failure has been Tokai Trick, 12th on a wet track in 2010.
Paddington (NSW)