Underrated stayer Cedarberg is set to give trainer Pat Carey his second home town Cup win in four years at Mornington.Carey, who said he "fluked" winning the 2008 Mornington Cup (2400m) with Attrition, is confident Cedarberg will cope with backing up seven days after winning over 1800 metres at Sandown last Wednesday."He is in good form and has come out of last week's win in good order," Carey said.He said it was impossible not to have a crack at the Listed Mornington Cup with a horse like Cedar
Underrated stayer Cedarberg is set to give trainer Pat Carey his second home town Cup win in four years at Mornington.
Carey, who said he "fluked" winning the 2008 Mornington Cup (2400m) with Attrition, is confident Cedarberg will cope with backing up seven days after winning over 1800 metres at Sandown last Wednesday.
"He is in good form and has come out of last week's win in good order," Carey said.
He said it was impossible not to have a crack at the Listed Mornington Cup with a horse like Cedarberg when it was on his home track and was now Victoria's richest provincial Cup with prizemoney of $300,000.
Under the new race conditions which are the result of the Melbourne Racing Club and Mornington Racing Club merger, the Cup winner also gets an automatic start in the Caulfield Cup.
Last year Cedarberg didn't qualify for the Caulfield or Melbourne Cups with Carey content to run him in the races that suited him best and let his spring unfold without any pressure.
After winning the Ansett Classic (2400m) on a nine-day back up at Sandown, Cedarberg confirmed his class when he split the winner Linton and third-placed Precedence in the Group Two Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield.
The dream of making the Melbourne Cup didn't eventuate when he was unplaced in The Lexus (2500m) at Flemington on Derby Day.
Carey has always believed in Cedarberg, who was galloped on when he finished seventh to Shoot Out in last year's AJC Australian Derby, and has happily kept a lid on what might be for the horse.
"If he happened to win tomorrow and get a Caulfield Cup start it would be a nice string to the bow for later on down the track," Carey said.
"Really I think you have to be qualified for races like the Caulfield Cup early rather than chasing your tail trying to get into them in the spring."
Michael Walker won on Cedarberg last start at Caulfield and was impressed with the way the four-year-old powered to the line beatKing Diamond by two lengths.
Mornington Cup rivals Vesper (fourth) and Cabeza (sixth) were among the beaten brigade at Sandown.
Carey said Attrition was a fairytale winner of the Mornington Cup, making the field as third emergency on a day it poured with rain and coming from last to score at $31. It remains the stayer's last win.
However Cedarberg has been the best-backed horse in Wednesday's Mornington Cup, firming from $5 to $3.30 favouritism.
Ballarat Cup winner My Bentley has tightened from $7 to $5.50 to be second favourite ahead of Robert Smerdon's promising stayer Shewan, a scratching from Sunday's Hobart Cup, on the third line at $6.50.
Sandown Cup winner Macedonian has pleased trainer Peter Moody who expects he will race handier on the tighter track than he did last start when unplaced in the Bagot Hcp (2800m) at Flemington.