A host of Emirates Melbourne Cup possibles, including Queen’s 2013 Gold Cup winner Estimate, feature in a field of seven runners for Friday night's Lonsdale Cup at York UK.
The star mare was denied back-to-back wins at this year’s Royal meeting when making her seasonal debut and her career hit a new low soon after when the Sir Michael Stoute-trained five-year-old finished last despite being sent off favourite for the Goodwood Cup.
However, connections have been pleased with her homework since and there have been suggestions in recent days that a Melbournetrip is not out of the equation this year.
The Queen’s racing manager John Warren said: “Sir Michael is very happy with how she has been training and let’s hope she can leave Goodwood behind her and get back on track.
“The Yorktrack should suit her far better than Goodwood and we are very hopeful she can give a good account of herself.
“She does like fast ground but unless they get a torrential downpour and the going changes significantly, I don't think there will be any excuses.”
One horse definitely on the Melbournetrail is Saeed bin Suroor’s Cavalryman, who has returned better than ever this year at the age of eight with wins in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and the Goodwood Cup.
Bin Suroor said: “He has always shown us his class since the day that he joined us and we have a special programme with older horses who we want to keep for a long time designed to keep them happy and sound.
“He is a brilliant horse who is very tough. Some horses improve with age and others do the opposite but with him he has kept on improving, both physically and mentally. He always looks wonderful.”
Cavalryman ran 12th in the 2012 Cup and could be joined on his repeat visit by stablemates Excellent Result and Ahzeemah.
Dual Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Dermot Weld saddles Pale Mimosa in the 3200-metre Group 2 event after the highly-regarded but lightly-raced filly scored recently in her native Ireland.
Jockey Pat Smullen said: “It looks a very good race and she's going to have to step up on what she's done so far, but we think she can do that.
“She doesn't want the ground too firm. We took her out of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascotbecause the ground was too quick, so hopefully we get some of the showers that are forecast.”
Mick Halford has had the Melbourne Cup as the main target for Certerach since he landed the Dubai Gold Cup in March and expects better from the six-year-old after he finished well adrift of Pale Mimosa at Leopardstown.
Halford said: “Things didn't really go to plan in last time as he was a bit keen and I think you can just put a line through it. We know he's better than that.
“Jamie Spencer gets on well with him, the track will suit and we're glad to be involved.”
Dr Marwan Koukash’s Northumberland Plate winner Angel Gabrial and Nicky Henderson’s Forgotten Voice – who had two outings at last year’s Spring Carnival – are also in the line-up along with 2012 winner Times Up and soft-ground-loving High Jinx.
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