Cross the world for Cup challenge
GODOLPHIN trainer Charlie Appleby confirmed the Melbourne Cup was next on the agenda for his three-year-old Cross Counter after he ran second in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes (2400m) at York on Wednesday.
Appleby trained the quinella, with Old Persian taking the win, but after a narrow second the trainer confirmed Cross Counter, $18 in TAB Melbourne Cup betting, would go in to quarantine as part of his team for the spring carnival.
“Cross Counter will start quarantine in four weeks’ time,” he said on Godolphin’s website.
“The early batch start quarantine tomorrow (Thursday) and are in there for two weeks, Cross Counter will be part of the second batch.
“I think we have a nice team going down there, but it all depends on how they travel, that is the biggest challenge, but if they all turn up there in the nick they are in on this side of the water, they are going to be big players.
“We contemplated missing today with Cross Counter and going earlier to Australia, it is my first time taking a three-year-old to Australia and, with the experience I have had with the older horses, I felt taking a three-yearold down and giving him a prep run going into the Melbourne Cup might be a bit challenging for him.
“I would rather get the weight off this side of the water and turn up fresh.”
Cross Counter impressed by winning the Group 3 Gordon Stakes (2400m) at Goodwood last month and will join wellcredentialed stablemate and laststart Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2700m) winner Hamada, who is $21 in Cup betting, on a flight to Melbourne in October.