Plunge likely as new part-owner throws support behind Basaltico

By Brians Newsflash

BASALTICO'S new part-owner Matt Tripp said yesterday that he believed the horse was as good as last year's Melbourne Cup runner-up Bauer and plans to back the horse to win up to $5 million in tomorrow's big race at Flemington, reports The Age.It says: A bookmaker and punter, Tripp went within a centimetre of pulling off a $1 million-plus plunge last year when Bauer, whom he also had a share in, just failed to overhaul Viewed. But yesterday he vowed to go even harder with Basaltico, who scraped i

It says: A bookmaker and punter, Tripp went within a centimetre of pulling off a $1 million-plus plunge last year when Bauer, whom he also had a share in, just failed to overhaul Viewed. But yesterday he vowed to go even harder with Basaltico, who scraped into the Cup field on Saturday night.

''It's a bit different this year because we've only just got into this horse, whereas last year we backed Bauer at 80-1 well before the race and did it the hard way as he had to win the Geelong Cup to get there,'' he said.

''But this one all came about over the last week and when the boys from OTI [Racing] offered me a share, I jumped at the chance because I think he's every bit as good as Bauer. He's got the Luca Cumani factor and will carry about the same weight [51.5 kilograms] as Bauer last year.''

Basaltico was last night quoted at $41 for tomorrow's race but is certain to firm after the planned plunge.

It is believed that the part-sale of Basaltico, who was placed over 3200 metres in Dubai this year, valued him at as much as $700,000 in a deal clinched late last week.

Included in his ownership is OTI Racing, managed by Terry Henderson and former Auustralian cricketer Simon O'Donnell, as well as leading owners John O'Neill and Mark Pejic and former AFL star and Brownlow medallist Shane Crawford.

Basaltico was the last horse into the Melbourne Cup field after a series of scratchings. After Efficient and Kirklees were taken out of the Cup on Saturday morning, Basaltico was still outside the Cup field and won a spot only after Zipping became cast under the barrier stalls before the Mackinnon Stakes and had to be scratched.