Gai Waterhouse pursues rare double with Fiorente aimed at Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup

UPDATE: GAI Waterhouse is concentrating on a rare Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup double with Fiorente after she withdrew the stayer from the Caulfield Cup.

GAI Waterhouse is concentrating on attempting a rare Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup double with Fiorente after she withdrew the outstanding stayer from the Caulfield Cup yesterday.

Fiorente, a brilliant last start winner of the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, already has 55kg for the Melbourne Cup and not surprisingly Waterhouse does not want to risk a re-handicap by contesting the Caulfield Cup.

The only horses to complete the Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup in the last 60 years are Saintly (1996) and Makybe Diva (2005) and both did not contest the Caulfield Cup.

Racing Victoria yesterday released the second acceptances for the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate. The highlights include:

THERE are 72 stayers still in contention for a Caulfield Cup starts including four northern hemisphere-trained gallopers — Dandino, Forgotten Voice, Simenon and Trevieres.

THE Cox Plate has 58 second acceptances with three overseas entries in Mull Of Killough, Side Glance and Trevieres.

CHRIS Waller has withdrawn Doomben Cup winner Beaten Up from the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate after a recent setback in training but still has race favourites Hawkspur ($6) and Royal Descent ($7) on target for the big race.

MANIGHAR, Silent Achiever and Waldpark are among Cox Plate second acceptances but remain in the Caulfield Cup.

SYDNEY'S top three-year-old filly Guelph is still among Cox Plate entries and was paid up as a first acceptor for the Victoria Oaks.

Racing Victoria also took entries for the feature Group 1 sprints over the spring carnival, the Manikato Stakes and Patinack Farm Classic with Hong Kong’s top sprinter Lucky Nine paid up for both races.

Lucky Nine is the first of the international raiders to touch down in Melbourne this spring, arriving yesterday albeit 24 hours later than scheduled after flights out of Hong Kong were delayed due to a typhoon.

The next wave of northern hemisphere horses are due to arrive in Melbourne on Saturday with a planeload of nine carnival contenders — Cups contenders Dandino, Opinion, Forgotten Voice, Simenon, Trevieres and Ruscello, Cox Plate hopefuls Mull of Killough and Side Glance, plus Australian sprinter Shamexpress who is returning from his English summer campaign.

Leading Melbourne rider Steven Arnold has been booked to ride English raider Mull Of Killough in the Cox Plate.