Bondeiger has drawn perfectly for Group 2 Adelaide Cup at Morphettville
A decision by Bondeiger’s part-owner Laurence Eales to grab an early morning flight out of Melbourne proved fruitful when Adelaide Cup favourite Bondeiger drew perfectly in barrier two.
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A decision by Bondeiger’s part-owner Laurence Eales to grab an early morning flight out of Melbourne proved fruitful when Adelaide Cup favourite Bondeiger drew perfectly in barrier two.
Bondeiger now finds himself a $4 favourite for Monday’s $400,000 Group 2 feature at Morphettville after Tasmanian stayer Eastender ($5) drew wide in gate 18.
Eales, who won the 2009 Melbourne Cup with Shocking has never had an Adelaide Cup runner and made the last-minute decision to grab a 5am flight to Adelaide on Monday.
The plan was executed perfectly, although part-owner Adam Mizzi who joined Eales in Adelaide said it could have been a different story if he hadn’t stepped in.
“I’ve drawn wide marbles with all my horses the last few months so that was nice,’’ Eales said.
“He wanted to grab another one, which turned about to be 21, thankfully I didn’t listen to him and grabbed barrier two,’’ Mizzi added.
Eales said Bondeiger, who finished runner-up in the 2014 Group 1 Victoria Derby as a three-year-old but was later disqualified, deserved to have a Group 2 victory beside his name after an emphatic Lord Reims win in Adelaide last weekend.
“He’s really turned the corner, he’s raced well at every run this prep,’ Eales said.
“He’s been lightly-raced and he seems to be thriving now.
“It was a pretty soft win last weekend, the Adelaide Cup is obviously a different story, a field of 20 and there is a few smart ones in there,’’ he said.
Victorian Aloft was the big mover in betting after drawing barrier eight with Jason Holder booked to ride.
‘Bondeiger is now a clear favourite, Eastender remains on the second line of betting but the clear market mover has been Aloft and he has been $51 into $26 following his credible effort at Flemington on Saturday,’’ Ladbrokes Tom Hackett said.
Winx’s trainer Chris Waller will chase his first Adelaide Cup with Naval Warfare who drew the inside in barrier one with Corey Brown booked to ride.
Stephen Baster will be chasing his second Adelaide Cup win in four years aboard Fabrizo for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott after winning in 2016 aboard Purple Smile for the Lindsay Park team
Star WA jockey William Pike will need to weave some magic aboard Top Of The Range who drew barrier 20, while Aagas fared the best of the locally trained Cup contenders drawing barrier six.
There were mixed fortunes for Murray Bridge trainer Michael Hickmott with Franked, to be ridden by Jamie Kah drawing barrier seven, while stablemate Azurite will have to overcome the extreme outside gate in barrier 21.
Former local October Date drew perfectly in barrier five with up and coming apprentice Kayla Crowther to ride.
ADELAIDE CUP DRAW
3200m Group 2 4.15pm
Horse (Trainer) Jockey Barrier Price
1 Eastender (Barry Campbell) Craig Newitt 18 $5
2 Fabrizio (Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott) Stephen Baster 10 $11
3 Bondeiger (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) James Winks 2 $4
4 Naval Warfare (Chris Waller) Corey Brown 1 $8
5 Aloft (Eric Musgrove) Jason Holder 8 $26
6 Lamborghini (Patrick Payne) Michael Dee 16 $9
7 Sylpheed (Matt Cumani) Dom Tourneur 14 $15
8 Olympic Academy (Grant Young) Raquel Clark 15 $26
9 Double Bluff (Aaron Purcell) Fred Kersley 12 $26
10 Top Of The Range (Michael Moroney) William Pike 20 $15
11 Aagas (Ryan Balfour) Cory Parish 6 $51
12 Dawn Raid (Matt Cumani) Dean Yendall 3 $51
13 Khezerabad (Aaron Purcell) Jye McNeil 13 $26
14 Exalted Lightning (Grant Young) Georgina Cartwright 11 ($101
15 Azurite (Michael Hickmott) Chris Caserta 21 $51
16 Surprise Baby (Paul Preusker) Dean Holland 4 $15
17 Franked (Michael Hickmott) Jamie Kah 7 $18
18 October Date (Nick Smart) Kayla Crowther 5 $26
19 Bon Equus (Kevin & Heather Frew) Patrick Moloney 17 $101
20 Henry The Dolphin (Mark Faust) Sairyn Fawke 19 $201
21em Pat The Weapon (Stuart Gower) Zac Spain 9 $201
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