Red Verdon bounces Win earns back to race fitness penalty in Cup field
ROBIN Trevor-jones is optimistic Red Verdon has dodged Ed Dunlop’s Melbourne spring carnival injury curse after the Caulfield Cup hope shrugged off lameness during a Werribee track gallop.
Red Verdon, who races in the same interests as ill-fated triple Melbourne Cup runnerup Red Cadeaux, was forced out of last season’s Melbourne Cup with a hoof abscess.
And when the gelding displayed clear lameness in his right foreleg on Friday, Trevor-jones feared the worst.
“He was proper lame in his right fore on Friday,” Dunlop’s stable foreman said yesterday.
“It (the leg) was scanned, Xrayed and couldn’t find anything wrong. It was (nerve) blocked out, there was nothing wrong and he’s sound since.
“What he did we’ll never know. He had an easy day Saturday after he had the needle in to block him on Friday.
“So he exercised yesterday and today and he’s 100 per cent sound.
“He’ll gallop (today) and God willing it will be on to the race.”
Red Verdon, along with all Caulfield Cup entrants, will be inspected by Racing Victoria vets following final acceptances for the $5 million handicap tomorrow.
Trevor-jones conceded Red Verdon’s right fore, the same limb in which he suffered the abscess last year, was “never 100 per cent”.
“I’m in touch with our vet, sending him videos and he says drive on, so we’re driving on,” he said.
Dunlop is yet to secure a jockey for Red Verdon.
“The texts are coming through at the moment but that is up to (owner) Mr (Ronald) Arculli and the trainer.
“I believe Pat Cosgrave available.”
Cosgrave, who won last year’s Cup on Best Solution, is likely to be sidelined for this season’s feature unless veteran is Red Galileo can sneak a start.
The Irishman will partner Royal Meeting, winner of his only two starts, including a Group 1, in the Listed Gothic Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
“Potentially he could be anything really, he’s had a long time off (after a wind operation),” he said.
“He beat a filly called Hermosa, she won two or three Group Ones.
“She obviously lost her way a little bit the last couple of runs but early on in the spring she was impressive in Group One company.
“His form is really good but it’s a bit unknown about a few things until he gets back on the track.”
Raymond Tusk is out of the Caulfield Cup along with Kings Will Dream (elevated temperature), Big Duke and Yucatan. HERBERT Power Stakes winner The Chosen One has been given a half-kilogram Melbourne Cup penalty for his victory in the Group Two race.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained New Zealand stayer also passed the first ballot clause with his 2400m win and now has 52kg in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 5 and is No.37 in the order of entry.
Racing Victoria’s Greg Carpenter announced the penalty yesterday.
“In winning the Group Two Herbert Power, The Chosen One won exemption into the Caulfield Cup, and under the conditions of that race could not be penalised and will run with 52kg,” Carpenter said.
“The Chosen One was, however, eligible to be penalised for the Melbourne Cup and it was appropriate to acknowledge he is a quality fouryear-old with an emerging form line.
“While he already meets most rivals from Saturday on worse weight terms in the Melbourne Cup, he was strong at the end of the contest on Saturday, so the decision was made to issue a 0.5kg penalty to amend his Melbourne Cup weight to 52kg.”
The Chosen One is an $11 chance in the Caulfield Cup and $26 in the Melbourne Cup.