Breeding doesn't count for everything as Hawkspur attempts to defy critics

CHRIS Waller admits Hawkspur's pedigree page tells him he cannot win the Melbourne Cup, but breeding doesn't count for everything.

Chris Waller is shooting for a sixth 2013-14 Group 1 win with Hawkspur and the less heralded Foreteller in tomorrow's Cup.

MAN of the moment Chris Waller admits Hawkspur's pedigree page tells him he cannot win the Melbourne Cup, but as Shamus Award proved in last week's Cox Plate, breeding doesn't count for everything.

Waller was the dominant figure at Flemington again on Saturday, winning majors with Red Tracer and Zoustar. He is shooting for a sixth 2013-14 Group 1 win with Hawkspur and the less heralded Foreteller in tomorrow's Cup.

Hawkspur has been out of luck in two Melbourne runs and again fared poorly at Saturday night's draw, coming up with gate 18.

It has been suggested Hawkspur will be ridden with more urgency tomorrow, in much the same way he dominated the Brisbane three-year-old features.

While the barrier draw and potential risk at the distance are out of Waller's control, he says every other facet of the preparation has gone perfectly.

"I will sit back after the race on Tuesday and say I wouldn't have done anything different. I'm very happy with where he's at," he said.

"My gut feeling is if he's good enough, he will win the Melbourne Cup. If he's not, he won't. I wouldn't do anything any other way."

Hawkspur is by the Tale Of The Cat stallion Purrealist, who in turn is a half-brother to the former outstanding miler Racing To Win.

His dam Mollyhawk was a non-winner by the Golden Slipper winner Catbird.

The stamina in Hawkspur's pedigree comes in via his second dam Exceptional Angel, a listed winner of six races up to 2400m. It is the family of Perth Cup (2400m) winner Talent Show, but that horse was by a Melbourne Cup winner in Jeune.

"(His pedigree) tells me he won't get two miles. It doesn't always work out that way," Waller said.

"In racing we always find a positive and tend to overlook the negatives.

"If we didn't we probably wouldn't even be in the game."

The trainer feels Hawkspur hasn't yet fully matured, but knows there's only ever a small window to stake a claim on the country's biggest race.

"I think he's still maturing, but you don't get many opportunities to have a crack at a Melbourne Cup and this is as good an opportunity as he will get," Waller said.

Waller took a similar view with Foreteller last week, saying he "ran out of excuses not to run."

Foreteller is the outsider of Waller's duo and like Hawkspur hasn't been tested beyond 2400m.

Both Hawkspur and Foreteller have been easy in the market since drawing in the second half of the field on Sunday evening.