All-Aussie Cup quinella

Forget imports, Maher says it’s down to Jameka and Hartnell

AS the Melbourne Cup guessing game about the calibre of the imports rolls on, Ciaron Maher is confident the Aussies have the measure of the foreign invaders.

The Caulfield Cup-winning trainer reckons his wonder mare Jameka and Godolphin’s Aussie star Hartnell are poised to run the Cup quinella next Tuesday.

Maher does have respect for international raider Wicklow Brave and his astute Irish trainer Willie Mullins.

But he nominated familiar Aussie foe Hartnell as the main danger to the chances of Jameka becoming the first horse to win the Cups double since the mighty Ethereal in 2001.

“I reckon Hartnell is the hardest to beat for sure. I would not be surprised at all if Jameka is fighting out the finish with him,” Maher said.

“I thought Jameka was going very well in the Turnbull Stakes and then Hartnell just absolutely blew her away. I wouldn’t worry about Hartnell’s recent run behind Winx in the Cox Plate. If you take Winx out of the Cox Plate, Hartnell wins because he was simply at another level to those horses.

“Hartnell has got that electric turn of foot, he loves Flemington and he is clearly having the best preparation of his career.

“I’m not too worried about the internationals in the Cup because Hartnell looks to me to be the main threat to Jame- ka. He is the one I am worried about.”

Punters traditionally find the overseas form of the Cup imports hard to assess, but this year they have Aussies Hartnell ($4.80) and Jameka ($6) at the top of betting boards.

Both will have plenty of support, but Maher wouldn’t swap his mare for anything.

Jameka may have been donkey-licked by Hartnell in the Turnbull but the mare went to another level in her dominant Caulfield Cup romp a fortnight later.

And Maher insists she is in even better order heading into the Melbourne Cup.

“With all of Jameka’s campaigns she has improved with each run, and that is how I train her,” Maher says.

“The idea was always for her to peak for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup and she has just kept getting better and better with each run. I am very confident with her heading into the Melbourne Cup.”

Punters seem to agree with Maher’s Cup assessment, with UBET reporting Aussie hopes Hartnell and Jameka account for half the money invested on the Cup this week.

“There hasn’t been any big betting push for any of the international horses, like we see in most other years,” UBET’s Gerard Daffy says.

“It looks like most punters are happy to back either Hartnell or Jameka, or back both of them.

“Hartnell has been the best supported this week, we were thinking punters might drop off him a bit after the Cox Plate but that hasn’t happened at all.”