Durable mare Hoorang's Melbourne Cup campaign has received a boost with her win over a handy field at Hastings.Her trainer, Wanganui vet Ian Shaw, was inquiring into bookings to Melbourne on Sunday and said it looked as if she would head over in the first week of October.He had not nominated her for the $1.2 million Kelt Stakes at Hastings on October 3 and said the $45,000 late nomination fee ruled out any second thoughts on that front.Hoorang is nominated for both the Caulfield and Melbourne cu

Durable mare Hoorang's Melbourne Cup campaign has received a boost with her win over a handy field at Hastings.

Her trainer, Wanganui vet Ian Shaw, was inquiring into bookings to Melbourne on Sunday and said it looked as if she would head over in the first week of October.

He had not nominated her for the $1.2 million Kelt Stakes at Hastings on October 3 and said the $45,000 late nomination fee ruled out any second thoughts on that front.

Hoorang is nominated for both the Caulfield and Melbourne cups, but Shaw said he wouldn't be worried if, as seemed likely, she failed to make the Caulfield Cup field.

"She is pushing it to get in, but it's an on-pacers' track and the turns are a bit tight. It might not suit her as much as Flemington, where the long straight is better for her," Shaw told NZPA.

Hoorang is 57th in the order of entry for the Melbourne Cup and would need to win a penalty-bearing race to have a chance of making the field.

Shaw said he would look for suitable races to try to get her in the field, including the Saab Quality (2500m) three days before the Cup, where the winner is exempt from ballot.

Hoorang, who won the New Zealand Cup at Riccarton in November, powered home down the outside on Saturday to win by three-quarters of a length from Halls who flew late to cut Harris Tweed out of third, with New Zealand Oaks winner Jungle Rocket running on well for fourth.

Hoorang had benefited from increased fast work at training and a tongue tie, Shaw said.

Harris Tweed's co-trainer, Bjorn Baker, was thrilled with his effort after he was run off his feet in his first run for the season over 1400 metres.

He said Harris Tweed would run in the Group One Kelt Stakes and then head to Melbourne for the Caulfield and Melbourne cups.

Jungle Rocket is also a Cups candidate with trainer Jeff McVean confident she will improve after her run came to an end in the last 20 metres.

Six O'Clock News was sixth, but jockey Noel Harris said he wasn't happy in the conditions.

"I wasn't disappointed in the run. He was only a length or so from the winner and has got such a massive stride on him that he was never going to be happy in that ground," he told the Sunday Star Times.

Six O'Clock News will fly to Sydney next week to run in the Metropolitan Handicap (2400m) at Randwick on October 3. A win in that would get him into the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups fields.

Another cups aspirant, All In Black, disappointed in finishing second last.

NZPA WGT