The Lloyd Williams-John Sadler camp is delighted by the way stable runners fared at Flemington on Saturday. Especially the win by Efficient in the Turnbull. 'That was a great win and we were expecting a big run from him,' says Nick Williams. 'He'll go to the Cox Plate and then the Melbourne Cup now...We're also very happy with C'est La Guerre. He bounced back after his last run and will run next week in the Yalumba, then go to the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.' The third Williams-owned runner, ve
The Lloyd Williams-John Sadler camp is delighted by the way stable runners fared at Flemington on Saturday. Especially the win by Efficient in the Turnbull. 'That was a great win and we were expecting a big run from him,' says Nick Williams. 'He'll go to the Cox Plate and then the Melbourne Cup now...We're also very happy with C'est La Guerre. He bounced back after his last run and will run next week in the Yalumba, then go to the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.' The third Williams-owned runner, veteran stayer Zipping, also ran nicely and will head either to the Cox Plate or the Mackinnon Stakes before a likely attempt at a third straight Sandown Classic 2400m.
Lee Freedman is also a happy man. He was thrilled by Speed Gifted's performance to plough through bog conditions to crush his rivals in the Metropolitan. Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter will announce a Cups penalty for the win on Monday. Speed Gifted was outside the Caulfield Cup elimination list at equal 63rd in order of entry. The Metrop win took him past the first ballot clause for the $2.5 million race but he still needs a penalty of at least 2kgs to be assured of a run. With 51kgs, Speed Gifted has 8kgs under weight-for-age. A 2kgs penalty will lift him to equal 24th for the 18-horse field. More than six horses higher ranked are certain to miss the Caulfield Cup. Freedman says: 'His win was emphatic and showed me that he is a real Melbourne Cup horse.'