Michael Rodd was glowing in his praise of Shocking who is set to emulate last year's Caulfield Cup winner Viewed by winning Saturday's $2.5 million race the year after winning the Melbourne Cup.It is a feat that has rarely been achieved - Poseidon (1907) and Rising Fast (1955) both did it but their efforts were even more meritorious as they had also won the Caulfield Cup the previous year."There's no doubt he's the best horse in the race on Saturday. He's obviously the horse to beat I believe,"
Michael Rodd was glowing in his praise of Shocking who is set to emulate last year's Caulfield Cup winner Viewed by winning Saturday's $2.5 million race the year after winning the Melbourne Cup.
It is a feat that has rarely been achieved - Poseidon (1907) and Rising Fast (1955) both did it but their efforts were even more meritorious as they had also won the Caulfield Cup the previous year.
"There's no doubt he's the best horse in the race on Saturday. He's obviously the horse to beat I believe," Rodd said of Shocking who last year was second emergency for the Caulfield Cup with 49kg and did not gain a start.
However the Mark Kavanagh-trained Street Cry five-year-old has come a long way in 12 months, winning the Lexus Stakes and the Melbourne Cup last spring and earning topweight of 57kg for the Caulfield Cup.
This preparation he added to his tally with a second-up win in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington and at his latest outing was beaten for the first time in five starts at Flemington when runner-up to Zipping in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m).
"The 57kg on his back is not going to be a problem," Rodd said.
"He's drawn perfectly as three of the emergencies drawn inside him are probably going to come out so he comes in to barrier nine.
"He's performed well at the distance (2400m) and on that sort of (wet) track so's there's not much more he has to do."
If there is a negative to Shocking's form it is that he has managed only one win at Caulfield from nine outings there, although he has managed three seconds as well.
One of those was when he was runner-up to one-time Caulfield Cup favourite Alcopop in last year's Group Two Herbert Power Stakes (2400m).
This time Alcopop meets Shocking 5.5kg better off at the weights for beating him by 3-1/4 lengths, but that did not deter Rodd.
"Shocking is a different horse now and he won the Melbourne Cup and Alcopop (sixth) didn't," Rodd said.
"He (Alcopop) has got to cope with the wide alley and might have to go right back whereas we've drawn perfectly and I think the draw has counteracted the weights."
Punters have rallied around Shocking who has continued to firm and is now equal favourite at $6.50 with the Gai Waterhouse-trained Herculian Prince with TAB Sportsbet.
The Chris Waller-trained Metal Bender, equal favourite at $6 with Herculian Prince after the barrier draw on Wednesday, has eased slightly to $7 with Alcopop at $9.
The Bart Cummings-trained pair, Faint Perfume and Dariana, are at $10 and $11 respectively with the Luca Cumani-trained Manighar the best fancied international runner at $11.
Hong Kong galloper Mr Medici is at $18 while Japanese veteran Tokai Trick is at $35.