‘MY PRINCE CAN WIN MELB CUP’
PRINCE of Arran’s travelling minder Tash Eaton has declared the English raider can win the Melbourne Cup after he was catapulted into the field yesterday.
Handicapper Greg Carpenter handed Prince of Arran, trained by Newmarket’s Charlie Fellowes, a 1kg weight penalty for the Cup after his stirring Geelong Cup victory on Wednesday.
Prince of Arran will carry 54kg in November 5’s $7.75 million Group 1, moving the seven-year-old to 23rd in the order of entry.
Yesterday’s news came as a significant relief for Fellowes, keeping his Melbourne Cup dream alive.
Eaton said Prince of Arran came through the Geelong Cup superbly and was primed for the first Tuesday in November.
Asked if Prince of Arran could win the Cup, Eaton told the Geelong Advertiser: “I think he will. He’s definitely got a huge chance. He has pulled up great (from the Geelong Cup), he ate up all last night, drank plenty of water. He was sound this morning. He has taken it all pretty well.”
Prince of Arran firmed from $26 into $18 for the Cup on the back of his performance in Geelong, where he won in the fastest time in 15 years.
“Prince of Arran and (second-placed) Irish mare True Self were both outstanding in (the) Geelong Cup, drawing clear of the rest of the field in an extremely strong renewal of the race,” Carpenter said.
“The win continues an exceptional run of performances by Prince of Arran in Australia over the last 12 months, and comes after he ran second to The Chosen One in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes on October 12, when he gave the New Zealand four-year-old 3.5kg in weight. He has clearly improved further from that run to win the Geelong Cup so impressively.
“Americain, in 2010, and Dunaden, in 2011, were both penalised 0.5kg for their Geelong Cup wins, before they carried 54.5kg to victory in the Melbourne Cup at their next start.
“The 1kg penalty takes Prince of Arran to 54kg and he has every chance of emulating those two French stayers, as well as Dermot Weld’s Media Puzzle in 2002, by completing the Geelong Cup-Melbourne Cup double.”
Eaton, who is Fellowes’ eyes and ears in Australia, said the plan was to freshen up Prince of Arran ahead of the Cup. Fellowes will arrive in Australia on October 30.
“We will just keep him fresh. That is what we had done leading into this race (the Geelong Cup),” Eaton said.
“I don’t think Charlie would want him to work. He will do a strong canter or two to keep his fitness ticking over, but it’s important for him to go in there (the Cup) fresh and well.”