Punters have rallied around Shocking who is now the clear-cut favourite for Saturday's $2.5 million Caulfield Cup which will be run on a heavy track.The Mark Kavanagh-trained Shocking has firmed from $7.50 earlier in the week to $5 favouritism with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Metal Bender and Herculian Prince, both at $7.50.Shocking has also been heavily backed with Sportingbet Australia which has taken a bet of $150,000 to $25,000 each-way.Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said the reignin
Punters have rallied around Shocking who is now the clear-cut favourite for Saturday's $2.5 million Caulfield Cup which will be run on a heavy track.
The Mark Kavanagh-trained Shocking has firmed from $7.50 earlier in the week to $5 favouritism with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Metal Bender and Herculian Prince, both at $7.50.
Shocking has also been heavily backed with Sportingbet Australia which has taken a bet of $150,000 to $25,000 each-way.
Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said the reigning Melbourne Cup winner was clearly his worst result.
"We took a bet of $150,000 to $25,000 each-way on Shocking and that was after we had already tightened him from $7.50 following a wave of bets on Thursday afternoon," Sullivan said.
"He is outright favourite at $5.50 with us ahead of Metal Bender at $6 with Herculian Prince at $6.50.
"I expect the two Sydney horses will get out in the market between now and jump time and Shocking will run outright favourite."
Sullivan said there had been good money for a lot of horses at big odds as punters looked for value on the rain-affected track.
"Descarado has been $51 to $19, Mourayan has been $31 to $17 and Monaco Consul has been $31 to $21 with punters obviously looking for some noted swimmers away from the favourites," he said.
Shocking is in from $7.50 to $5 favourite with Centrebet after it received several good bets for him including one of $10,000 at $6 and another of $5000 at $6.
There has been plenty of money from rank-and-file punters on Faint Perfume who has firmed from $12 to $8 this week with TAB Sportsbet with Alcopop, equal favourite at $6.50 before his horror outside barrier draw, at $9.
Due to the heavy (8) going and with more rain to come, master trainer Bart Cummings has rated the diminutive Faint Perfume as his better chance of giving him his eighth Caulfield Cup ahead of stablemate Dariana.
"She's big enough and I think she's good enough too," Cummings said.
VRC Oaks winner Faint Perfume, a heavy track winner, will wear blinkers for the first time on Saturday after her last-start sixth to Zipping in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.
"She didn't get a clean run last start. I think the rail was out about 30 feet (nine metres) and she got held up in the straight and I think the blinkers will help her," Cummings said.
"She doesn't pull in them and is nice and relaxed. She worked good in them on Tuesday and Bossy (jockey Glen Boss) seems quite happy with her."
Queensland Derby winner Dariana made up some ground from last to finish 11th in the Turnbull and while Cummings is happy with her he is worried about her in the wet.
"She doesn't go as good on a wet track," he said.
Manighar ($11) will be the Luca Cumani stable's sole runner after third emergency Drunken Sailor was scratched due to a minor hoof injury.
"He's going to feel very at home. He's got a lot of good form on this sort of ground so it shouldn't be an issue for us," Cumani's wife Sara said.
With the scratchings on Friday morning of Zabrasive (suspensory injury) and Master O'Reilly (colic), first emergency Mourayan and second emergency Red Ruler have gained starts.
Owner Lloyd Williams has delayed a decision on a run for Mourayan until Saturday morning.