The best Australian trainer in England stepped into Melbourne Cup discussions with a plea of "what about me".After watching her Cup entry Yellowstone work at Sandown, Jane Chapple-Hyam made the case for a horse she clearly believes has been overlooked.Yellowstone is a 50-1 chance in next Tuesday's race, thanks largely to one bad run.The horse finished eighth of nine, 54 lengths behind the Cup favourite Septimus in the Irish St Leger last time out, an effort that has mystified connections.Chapple

The best Australian trainer in England stepped into Melbourne Cup discussions with a plea of "what about me".

After watching her Cup entry Yellowstone work at Sandown, Jane Chapple-Hyam made the case for a horse she clearly believes has been overlooked.

Yellowstone is a 50-1 chance in next Tuesday's race, thanks largely to one bad run.

The horse finished eighth of nine, 54 lengths behind the Cup favourite Septimus in the Irish St Leger last time out, an effort that has mystified connections.

Chapple-Hyam insists the run should be forgiven and Yellowstone's chances should be assessed on his previous run when third to Caulfield Cup winner All The Good in the Newburgh (2700m) at Newbury in August.

The trainer, a daughter of former Liberal leader Andrew Peacock, points out that the form has been tested since the Caulfield Cup and has stood up well.

Not only that, the weights are overwhelmingly in favour of Yellowstone.

"I'm surprised you haven't picked up on it," Chapple-Hyam said.

"He was third in the Newburgh giving 10 pounds (4.5kg) to the winner All The Good and now he gets two pounds off him, so there's a 12 pound turnaround."

Yellowstone finished 4-3/4 lengths behind All The Good at Newbury which means the weight difference should bring them closer together at Flemington.

The weight comparison with Bauer, who finished seventh at Newbury and has since won the Geelong Cup, also favours Yellowstone.

The son of Rock Of Gibraltar carried topweight of 61.5kg in the Newburgh and Chapple-Hyam believes the lighter scale in the Melbourne Cup adds to his chances.

"At the 400m he had them all off the bridle, but the weight got the better of him," she said.

Of the nine internationals at Sandown, Yellowstone has attracted the least attention.

He has worked well enough, although he has hardly been tested, and has developed a curious habit of trying to leave the track when he should be setting off on a gallop.

Chapple-Hyam put the problem down to the lack of a companion.

"He doesn't have any mates to go out with, he's out there on his own," she said.

Yellowstone is the odd horse of the quarantine barn housing the Aidan O'Brien trio of Septimus, Honolulu and Alessandro Volta and the mares Profound Beauty and Varevees.

"The two fillies pair off together and the O'Brien horses are together and no-one wants to join us," she said.

"It's hard when he's been in a string of 16 at home and he's on his own now."

As for the awful run in the Irish St Leger, Chapple-Hyam has had to content herself with a "one of those things" explanation.

She said blood tests failed to reveal a problem, the horse is sound and he didn't have a temperature or a cough or any other sign of distress.

"Maybe the Newburgh took a little bit out of him," she said.

Chapple-Hyam also provided an educated opinion on how the Melbourne Cup would be run, and pointed the finger directly at the O'Brien runners Honolulu and Alessandro Volta.

"They're not going to hang about, those boys from Ireland," she said.

"We know that they are the pacemakers."

So does most everyone else, even the stewards.