Choice ‘highly unlikely’ to make Melbourne Cup bid
Galileo’s Choice is “highly unlikely” to attempt to qualify for race, according to Weld after he learned the race distance of 1m 2f at Leopardstown on Saturday was not sufficient to ensure automatic inclusion for the Melbourne showpiece, for which weights will be published on Monday for the November 1 contest.
To survive the first ballot for the race, requirements are for a horse to have won a Listed race or be placed in the first three in a Group 2/Group 3 or to have finished in the first five of a Group 1 over a distance of 1m 3½f or further in all three cases.
Weld said: “It looks as if we are pretty well stymied.
“The Melbourne Cup conditions are extremely complex and I’ve been informed that Galileo’s Choice, despite winning a conditions race over an extended two miles and a Group 3 over 1m 2f in recent weeks, will not survive the first ballot.
“It’s very frustrating. It is about time they had a good look at the qualifying conditions for the race and simplified things a bit. It makes little sense that a Listed-race winner over just short of 1m 4f is guaranteed a run whereas a Group winner over 1m 2f is not.”
“It is highly unlikely that we will try and qualify Galileo’s Choice at this stage as it doesn’t really look practical to do so,” said Weld.
Meanwhile, So You Think was not among those to stand their ground at the latest forfeit stage for the Cox Plate on October 22.
Winner of the prestigious event at Moonee Valley for the last two years before his transfer from Bart Cummings to Aidan O’Brien, it was still a possibility he could return to Australia to emulate Kingston Town’s record of three in a row, but this confirms the giant will continue a European campaign.
There is still potential European interest in the race through the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained Americain, winner of last year’s Melbourne Cup, and Luca Cumani’s Sahara Sun, runner-up in the Chilean Derby who will make his debut for the stable at Doncaster tomorrow.
Cumani confirmed Sahara Sun, Manighar, Bauer and Drunken Sailor for the Caulfield Cup, the major trial for the Melbourne Cup itself, with Americain, Mikel Delzangles’ Dunaden and Brian Ellison’s Saptapadi also in the mix.
