Chosen for Melbourne Cup
Baker and Forsman now have a decision to make on whether star stallion runs in Lexus
The Chosen One has already had one huge win this week, whether he gets a shot at another at Flemington today hangs in the balance. The Cambridge galloper slingshotted in the field for Tuesday’s A$7,750,000 Melbourne Cup after the controversial forced scratchings of two Europeans because VRC vets didn’t like what they saw on CT bone scans taken this week.
You could debate for hours over the ethics of those scratchings, whether most older horses would have some evidence of bone wear and tear if scanned and whether, since the Europeans were scanned, shouldn’t every horse in the race have to undergo the same procedure.
But that is a conversation for another day because today is Derby Day and The Chosen One can win the A$300,000 Lexus Hotham Handicap. If he starts.
The 4-year-old was initially entered for today’s group three 2500m as he sat 26th in the order of entry for the Melbourne Cup and it looked like he would need to win to be guaranteed a start.
But with three withdrawals above him in just 24 hours he is now safely into the Cup, which leaves trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman with a decision to make, one that may not be finalised until this morning.
They can go straight into the Melbourne Cup knowing they probably can’t win it and in reality a top eight finish would be a great result, or start in the Lexus today which they can win and still go to Tuesday’s great race.
“We aren’t sure yet,” Baker told the Herald .
“I am leaning toward starting in the Lexus because he has a good draw
The undoubted star of the show for the Kiwis today is glamour mare Melody Belle, who will start favourite in the A$1m Empire Rose.
and a top rider and it is a race he can win. And if there is any give in the track, which there is supposed to be, then he should bounce out of the race well and can head to Tuesday.
“Horses like Brew and Shocking have won the Lexus and then won the Cup and we still don’t know at this age whether he can even win the Cup.
“So we will discuss it with the owners but we may not make the final decision until the morning.”
If The Chosen One does start today he will join Matamata galloper Sir Charles Road in the Lexus and give New Zealand a strong chance in what is not a stellar line-up, with the latter needing to win to be guaranteed a Cup start.
The Baker-Forsman stable already have a group one contender today in Long Jack in the A$2m VRC Derby and they are more worried about the prerace parade than his dreadful barrier draw in the classic.
Long Jack has been a handful prerace at times this spring but was far more relaxed before winning the
Geelong Classic last week, with the addition of an ear hood keeping him calmer. “It helped last time but today, in front of 100,000 people and with the Derby start right in front of the main stand, it is a worry,” admitted Baker. Even if he keeps his cool new rider Craig Williams will have to overcome the outside barrier in the 15-strong field, which means almost certainly settling back early because of the very short run to the first bend.
Still, his connections are happy with him and a strong tempo would help him settle and probably find out most of his rivals more than the rockhard fit son of So You Think.
Regardless of what level he performs to the undoubted star of the show for the Kiwis today is glamour mare Melody Belle, who will start favourite in the A$1m Empire Rose.
Her connections have already pulled the right rein, bypassing a Cox Plate last week that as it turns out she couldn’t have won and today they take on largely inferior mares at set weights over the mile.
She is clearly the horse to beat, with the only real concern her wide barrier draw.
But the way she won all three legs of the Triple Crown at Hastings coming from off the speed if she races up to her best she should record the richest win on Australian soil by a New Zealand-trained thoroughbred in over two years.