Cup winner’s light penalty
A DISAPPOINTED Mike Moroney will cop the Melbourne Cup weight penalty given to Geelong Cup winner Vengeur Masque on the chin, despite it leaving the talented stayer in limbo.
The six-year-old was given a half kilo penalty by Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter yesterday after his half-head over Gallic Chieftain on Wednesday.
The penalty takes Vengeur Masque’s Cup weight to 50.5kg, shifting him from 45th to 37th in the order of entry.
It is the same penalty given to 2016 winner Qewy, but down on the 1kg to 1.5kg penalty given to Almoonqith (2015), Caravan Rolls On (2014), Ibicenco (2013), and Gatewood (2012).
“It’s the way it is. I just thought he beat a horse (Gallic Chieftain) that’s beaten Boom Time and he won a Caulfield Cup and the form around him and behind him had beaten the Caulfield Cup winner. I thought (Carpenter) might have read into that more, but he didn’t,” Moroney said.
“Considering he was on a pretty low weight and that he had hadn’t won a race in Australia (before Geelong), that might have been one of the reasons why he couldn’t get at him weight wise. He has run second in big races, Group 2s and Group 3s.
“The extra kilo would have helped us. But who knows? He might sneak in and only have 50.5kg.”
The next round of acceptances are taken on Monday and Moroney said the final field would start to take shape.
The Melbourne Cup has a field limit of 24 and Vengeur Masque could run in the Lexus Stakes on Derby Day at Flemington, which carries a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption for the winner.
The son of Monsun missed last year’s Cup after being 25th on the order of entry and said connections did not want to suffer the same fate again.
“We’ve got him around 35th on what we think is running at this stage.
“If that’s the case we are probably going to have to run (in the Lexus) to make our way into the cup,” Moroney said.
“I’ve got a gut feeling he will handle it (the quick back up from the Lexus). If it was next year he definitely would. “He is strong enough.” Vengeur Masque, who registered his first Australian victory at Geelong, is at $81 in Melbourne Cup betting.