No fears over big field
Vermeer can handle the heat in Cup
Master trainer Aidan O’Brien says Johannes Vermeer has all the attributes needed to win the Caulfield Cup — and to deliver the Irishman a world record.
If the Cup favourite triumphs on Saturday, he will present O’Brien with his 25th Group 1 win this year, matching US trainer Bobby Frankel’s 2003 feat.
Speaking from the UK, O’Brien said Johannes Vermeer had the versatility to take advantage of barrier two.
“He’s a quick breaker, he usually settles well and he usually quickens well,” O’Brien said.
“You need a horse with tactical pace who then relaxes and then can really quicken.
“I suppose it all adds up to you really need a good colt.
“He is pacey, a flat track should suit him. The lads are very happy with him.”
O’Brien told Sky Sports radio he was delighted with Johannes Vermeer’s slashing Caulfield Cup second.
“He settled well and quickened very well so we were delighted with his run,” he said.
O’Brien’s team has dismissed fears Johannes Vermeer will be intimidated by the hustle and bustle of Saturday’s 2400m test in which he faces the largest field of his short career.
Johannes Vermeer will face 16 rivals in what is traditionally a torrid Group 1, having never previously raced in a field larger than 11.
Asked if the multiple Group winner would be spooked in a cluttered field, O’Brien’s assistant TJ Comerford said: “Not at all because he’s actually quick away.
“You saw how quick away he was the other day (in the Caulfield Stakes).
“He can just slot in wherever he wants after that.”
To be ridden by Ben Melham, Johannes Vermeer has drawn barrier two.
Only two winners in the past 21 years have jumped from that gate – Arctic Scent in 1996 and Tawqeet in 2006.
Five of the past eight winners have emerged from double-digit alleys.
Meanwhile, a Racing Victoria veterinary inspection today will decide the Caulfield Cup fate of the highly fancied Kiwi mare Bonneval.
RV chief steward Terry Bailey said head vet Grace Forbes inspected the mare yesterday and found she still had a small degree of lameness.
“It’s no secret we had our concerns with her on Saturday (after the Caulfield Stakes when she finished fifth),” Bailey said.
Jockey Kerrin McEvoy, however, rode her in trackwork yesterday and said she felt “bright and well”.