Pugin on target, says Dettori
Frankie Dettori rode his Melbourne Cup mount Pugin for the first time in trackwork at Melbourne’s Sandown track and declared him on target to win the big race on Tuesday week.
Dettori said he had seen Pugin “hundreds of times” in his travels but had never been on his back.
“He gave me a good feel. He’s a nice big horse, clean winded,” Dettori said.
Pugin working with stablemate Hatha Anna, gave his companion a start and beat him in the comfortably in the gallop. They were clocked to run six furlongs in 1min 19sec and their last three furlongs in 38.5sec.
Dettori rates irish raider Vinnie Roe the horse to beat in the Cup, in which the Godolphin acquisition meets him 12lbs better off for their clash in the Irish St Leger.
“Vinnie Roe is clearly number one of the international horses,” Dettori said.
“We need all the weight turnaround from the Irish St Leger.
“He has stacks of weight but he has the class to win.”
Godolphin will approach the Melbourne Cup with Hatha Anna the Australian way.
The intention is to use Saturday’s Mackinnon Stakes, a weight-for-age race over 10 furlongs carrying A502,000 in stakes, as a lead-up to the Cup.
Mark Weld, son of trainer Dermot, said Vinnie Roe and Geelong Cup winner Media Puzzle may go to Flemington to work this week. Weld said Vinnie Roe is very fit and doesn’t need a lot of work.
The horse has thrived the past two days and race jockey Patrick Smullen arrives in Melbourne on Monday to prepare for the climax to the dual Irish St Leger winner’s year.
Sir Michael Stoute, trainer of Daliapour, is expected in Melbourne on Thursday.
Michael Kinane, who will ride Daliapour is anticipated to arrive in Melbourne closer to the weekend.
Daliapour and Jardine’s Lookout worked on Saturday morning at Sandown, after the media had left.
Jardine’s Lookout will work on Tuesday at Flemington.
Cox Plate hero Northerly’s entry in the Melbourne Cup will be kept alive when third declarations are taken tomorrow.
Trainer Fred Kersley is warning punters that the six-year-old is unlikely to start.
He said an opportunity to discuss the immediate plans for Northerly had not presented itself over the weekend.
“I want to let the public know that Northerly has to be regarded as an unlikely starter,” Kersley said.
“I’ll be paying the AU 1650 to have him listed as a third declaration affording the owners and myself the opportunity to assess all the options.
“We’re buying time but I would like to put this issue to bed as soon as possible.”
Northerly has the opportunity to become the only the second horse to make a clean sweep of the three major races at the Melbourne spring carnival – the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup. Rising Fast completed the treble in 1954.
Northerly is faced with the task of carrying 60kg in the Melbourne Cup.
Jockey Patrick Payne, who rode Northerly for the first time in Saturday’s Cox Plate, is being sought to ride Jardine’s Lookout for English trainer Alan Jarvis, who is unlikely to wait very long for an answer, one way or other.
Pat Eddery is the most likely candidate if Payne does not commit himself.
