Forty-five percent of the 173 horses entered for this year’s $2.5 million Caulfield Cup are northern hemisphere bred. This represents a huge difference in the direction of Australia’s trainers who are now sourcing their potential stayers overseas.
There are also 12 overseas-trained horses entered for the 2400-metre race.
An interesting fact is nine of the first 10 horses across the line in last year’s Melbourne Cup have been nominated, while the only three-year-old entered is Tony Vasil’s exciting galloper Prince Harada.
No three-year-old has won the race since the Tommy Smith-trained Mighty Kingdom won in 1979.
Of the 158 horses entered for the $3 million W. S. Cox Plate, 12 are trained overseas.
All of the star gallopers in Australia have been nominated, including It’s A Dundeel, Atlantic Jewel, Ethiopa, Fiorente, Puissance De Lune, Green Moon, Royal Descent, Sacred Falls and Streama, just to name a few. (www.racingnetwork.com.au).
There were 235 three-year-olds entered for the Caulfield Guineas and 196 for the Thousand Guineas.