Craig Williams backs Mount Athos can climb Melbourne Cup summit
CRAIG Williams believes Mount Athos has the credentials to win the Melbourne Cup after partnering Luca Cumani's galloper at Werribee trackwork.
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CRAIG Williams believes Mount Athos has the credentials to win Tuesday's Emirates Melbourne Cup after partnering Luca Cumani's galloper at Werribee trackwork today.
Williams was impressed with Mount Athos, a luckless fifth in the Cup last season, as foreign trainers paraded an awesome array of high-class horse flesh this morning.
Asked if Mount Athos was capable of toppling 2011 Cup winner Dunaden - the champion French stayer he piloted to Caulfield Cup victory last season - Williams unhesitatingly said: "Yes."
Pushed to justify the opinion, Williams pointed to the handicaps - Dunaden has to lug 58.5kg on Tuesday while Mount Athos has 54kg.
"Just the weights, it's a handicap," Williams said.
"(I'm) very confident on a level playing field - hate to question Dunaden, that's for sure - but on the handicap as it is, there's no doubt that being a handicap, Mount Athos is far better placed."
Williams, who missed the winning Cup ride on Dunaden two years ago when suspended, says Mount Athos also tactical advantages.
"I believe that this year Mount Athos comes to the Melbourne Cup with options to ride him, which is great for me," he said.
"When he won first-up this preparation, he won at Chester and made the whole running, so I was pretty confident he could come here and be versatile.
"It's really good for me going into the race to know we've got options."
Mount Athos is 9-1 second favourite with Betstar while Dunaden is $26 with TAB behind Fiorente ($5).
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