South Australian trainer Jake Stephens may take lightly raced five-year-old Alcopop into the Melbourne Cup without another run following his impressive win in the Herbert Power Stakes.Strathalbyn-based Stephens said he would see how the gelding, by 1994 Melbourne Cup winner Jeune, pulled up after his 3-1/4 length victory in Saturday's Group Two 2400m event at Caulfield and monitor whether he needed another lead-up run.The Geelong Cup (2400m) on Wednesday week and the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) on
South Australian trainer Jake Stephens may take lightly raced five-year-old Alcopop into the Melbourne Cup without another run following his impressive win in the Herbert Power Stakes.
Strathalbyn-based Stephens said he would see how the gelding, by 1994 Melbourne Cup winner Jeune, pulled up after his 3-1/4 length victory in Saturday's Group Two 2400m event at Caulfield and monitor whether he needed another lead-up run.
The Geelong Cup (2400m) on Wednesday week and the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) on Saturday week are options for Alcopop who has now won seven of his 10 starts, including all four this preparation.
"He might even go straight into the Cup, I'll just see how he pulls up," said Stephens who has a background with polo horses and rides his small team in track work himself.
Stephens also revealed why Alcopop, an original Caulfield Cup nomination, was no longer in the $2.5 million race.
He was out fencing some new paddocks on his property and didn't have any coverage on his mobile phone which caused a reminder he had programmed not to come though until after the second acceptance deadline had passed.
"Once I got back into service it finally came through (too late) and I thought `oh no.'. I was thinking it must be meant to be and no one else rang me, the other owners didn't remember," he told radio station Sport 927 on Sunday.
Stephens is now looking at it as a blessing in disguise.
"That's what I'm thinking, I mean it would be a fair gut-buster.
"He's the sort of horse, he's not an iron horse, he is very strong but he does need a bit of time to recover after a race.
"He's a good track worker and doesn't have a lot of galloping so when he does he puts in.
"Obviously I'd have to put some decent gallops into him to get him fit to get over 3200 metres.
"But I'm pretty confident with the horse."
Stephens said he would not be happy to run Alcopop in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington three days before the Cup as it would not be suitable for the horse to back up so quickly.
He said Alcopop was a very hard-muscled horse and a lean staying type and he would have to see how he pulled up after racing on the good (3) surface at Caulfield.
"Ill see how he bounces back and if it looks as though he needs another run or not," Stephens said.
The John Sadler-trained Melbourne Cup $6 favourite Efficient will not run again until the big race after he stormed home to win the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last Saturday week.
Alcopop is now the $7.50 equal second pick in the TAB Sportsbet market with Metropolitan Handicap winner Speed Gifted.
The Lee Freedman-trained and French owned import Speed Gifted is $5 favourite for Saturday's Caulfield Cup (2400m), although he is not confirmed as a certain starter at this stage.