Bad news to start the week...Dunaden is in doubt for the Caulfield Cup - and maybe even the Melbourne Cup! The French star has a foot abscess which may put his Caulfield Cup run in doubt. The abscess, which appeared about two weeks ago, has restricted the French galloper's workload and he will be given a searching gallop at Newmarket in England this week before boarding a plane bound for Melbourne at the end of the week, according to Racing Victoria's website. Connections have rated Dunaden's ch
Bad news to start the week...Dunaden is in doubt for the Caulfield Cup - and maybe even the Melbourne Cup! The French star has a foot abscess which may put his Caulfield Cup run in doubt. The abscess, which appeared about two weeks ago, has restricted the French galloper's workload and he will be given a searching gallop at Newmarket in England this week before boarding a plane bound for Melbourne at the end of the week, according to Racing Victoria's website. Connections have rated Dunaden's chances of making it to the $2.5 million Caulfield feature in four weeks as a ''50-50'' possibility. But bookmakers are taking the setback seriously, with most offering as much as $35 for the horse to win the Caulfield Cup - more than double his price of a week ago.
Irish trainer Dermot Weld has confirmed Patrick Smullen will ride Galileo's Choice in this year's Melbourne Cup. Smullen, who rode Weld's Irish champion Vinnie Roe into second place behind legendary mare Makybe Diva in the 2004 Melbourne Cup, will need to lose significant weight to make the horses allocated 53.5kgs. Planning to ride in the Breeders Cup meeting in the US over the weekend before flying straight to Melbourne with Weld for the Cup on the Tuesday, Smullen is confident of making the horses weight with plenty of time on his side.