THE European invasion for this year's spring carnival begins today at Caulfield as four key English-trained runners take to the track, reports The Age. It says: Luca Cumani's ageing stayer Bauer and Brian Ellison's strikingly similar pair Saptapadi and Moyenne Corniche will race for a penalty and possible inclusion in next Saturday's Caulfield Cup when they tackle the group 2 Herbert Power Stakes. Then, Cumani's Chilean import Sahara Sun joins Hong Kong stayer Mighty High in the group 1 Caulfiel

THE European invasion for this year's spring carnival begins today at Caulfield as four key English-trained runners take to the track, reports The Age.

It says: Luca Cumani's ageing stayer Bauer and Brian Ellison's strikingly similar pair Saptapadi and Moyenne Corniche will race for a penalty and possible inclusion in next Saturday's Caulfield Cup when they tackle the group 2 Herbert Power Stakes.

Then, Cumani's Chilean import Sahara Sun joins Hong Kong stayer Mighty High in the group 1 Caulfield Stakes when he tackles some of the leading Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate contenders in the country. But 2008 Melbourne Cup runner-up Bauer is the most intriguing of the European quartet set to race at Caulfield as his stable attempts to coax one more glorious moment out of the nine-year-old. The Cumani stable's foreman Charlie Henson has been pleased with the nine-year-old's work since arriving in Australia and is hoping Bauer can recapture his best form.

''He's in great form on his work the other day and he seems very happy here. We haven't had any issues at the moment, which is good and we're very happy," Henson said.

Bauer won the 2008 Geelong Cup prior to his nose defeat in the Melbourne Cup 10 days later behind Viewed, but since that preparation he has had a series of injuries. He was off the scene for close to two years with tendon troubles following the 2008 Cup, and then returned to Australia last year but was scratched from the Cup on race morning with a hoof problem. After another 40-week break, Bauer returned to the track in England this year with two runs at Haydock, winning the Old Borough Cup before travelling to Melbourne.