Trainer’s plea for Cup berth
PRINCE Of Arran is a “fighter” who will today find out whether his Geelong Cup victory was enough to secure a berth in the Melbourne Cup.
The gelding is in the box seat to today land a second consecutive spot in the race.
Trainer Charlie Fellowes — who watched the win from England — last night pleaded with chief handicapper Greg Carpenter to deliver a 0.5 or 1kg penalty to the gelding.
“Dear Mr Carpenter, if you would kindly give PRINCE OF ARRAN a 0.5-1kg penalty for winning today’s Geelong Cup that would be hugely appreciated,” the trainer tweeted minutes after the victory.
“Yours Sincerely, Charlie Fellowes PS get in there you beauty!!!!!!! Amazing job Tash Eaton. We are back baby!”
The Geelong Cup does not carry ballot-free exemption into the Melbourne Cup, with Prince Of Arran sitting 37th in the order of entry before the win. Its penalty will be announced this morning. A halfkilo penalty would boost the seven-year-old up to 30th.
Prince Of Arran fended off True Self in yesterday’s $400,000 2400m feature at Geelong to stake its claim for a spot after finishing third in last year’s Melbourne Cup.
He was piloted from a wide gate by Michael Walker to claim the race as favourite, and while Walker admitted he was “a little bit worried” pre-race of a potential “disaster”, he declared “bring on the Cup”.
“I was actually sitting in the gates and saying to myself, which I don’t usually do, ‘this is going to be a disaster today’, because a lot of people had changed their plans to go forward in the race — horses that usually go back,” he said.
“My horse never jumps out of the barriers good, apart from the Melbourne Cup last year, and today because he was the last one in, he was still awake. He didn’t fall asleep and he jumped good.”
Walker said the win had come “the hard way”.
“I had to be the cat to drag the field up to chase the mouse,” he said.
Haky finished in third place with Linda Meech aboard.
Tash Eaton, Prince Of Arran’s travelling partner, called on Carpenter to “be nice” in his ruling today.
“I’m just hoping and praying that it’s enough to get in, that’s what we want, old Greg [Carpenter] to be nice, come on,” she said.