Fellowes confident Prince has enough in tank

IS there still enough petrol left in the tank of A Prince Of Arran?

That’s the question punters will have when deciding if he can win the $7.3 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) this afternoon, just three days after qualifying for the race by winning the Hotham Handicap (2500m) on Derby Day.

European horses don’t usually back up quickly but A Prince Of Arran seems to be adapting well to life in Australia.

A $19 TAB chance, A Prince Of Arran will carry 53kg with New Zealand’s Michael Walker in the saddle.

Young Newmarket trainer Charlie Fellowes said the Shirocco six-year-old was showing no signs of being a tired horse after his run on Saturday and should be able to give his best again today.

“There’s always a concern because he has never done it [back up] before,” he said.

The two most important things would be if he finished his feed on Saturday night and how he trotted up on Saturday morning.

“He licked his bowl clean and trotted up perfectly, so that’s two big hurdles cleared.”

He couldn’t quite go with Yucatan in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at his first run in Australia, so Fellowes went to plan B and headed towards last Saturday’s Cup-qualifying race. He beat the tough Brimham Rocks by half a length.

“Hopefully we won with a little bit up our sleeve. I think he has a bit left,” Fellowes said.