Kingdoms hot on the historical trail to a Melbourne Cup start
TRAINER John O'Shea is going back to the future to try and secure a Melbourne Cup start for Kingdoms in the Group 3 Lexus Stakes at Flemington.
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TRAINER John O'Shea is going back to the future to try and secure a Melbourne Cup start for Kingdoms in the Group 3 $300,000 Lexus Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday.
"This horse has a good profile for this race,'' O'Shea said of Kingdoms.
"The Melbourne stayers have been racing each other but he is the new formline.
"He's a progressive young stayer with not too many convictions and he is coming right at the right time.''
It was once considered almost mandatory by trainers to run their stayers on Derby Day to finetune Melbourne Cup preparations.
The Lexus Stakes and the Group 1 $1 million Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) traditionally have been the most important lead-up races into the Melbourne Cup three days later.
But what was once the norm has become the exception.
Since Irish stayer Vintage Crop's 1993 Melbourne Cup win ushered in the race's international era, Derby Day has become almost irrelevant as a guide to finding the Cup winner.
Of the top 24 in order of entry for the $6.2 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on Tuesday, only four are racing on Derby Day - Mourayan, Mr Moet and Dear Demi are contesting the $1 million Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) while Ethiopia is lining up in the Group 3 $300,000 Lexus Stakes.
Jet Away and Moriarty are in a must-win situation going into the Mackinnon if either is to get into the Cup field.
Ethiopia aside, 13 of the remaining 14 starters in the Lexus Stakes including Kingdoms also need a win to secure a Melbourne Cup start. The only Lexus runner not among Cup entries is Brigantin.
Vintage Crop's historic Melbourne Cup win two decades ago has revolutionised how stayers are prepared for the famous Flemington two-miler.
Vintage Crop's final Cup "trial" was his Irish St Leger win on September 18 - seven weeks prior to the big race.
Since Vintage Crop, the only Cup winners who raced on Derby Day were Jeune (1994), Rogan Josh (1999), Viewed (2008) and Shocking (2009).
An examination of Melbourne Cup winners in a 70-year period between 1923 and 1993 shows that no fewer than 58 Cup winners raced on Derby Day.
But O'Shea is banking on Kingdoms following the trail blazed by Maluckyday three years ago and vaulting into the Melbourne Cup by winning the Lexus Stakes.
The promising young Sydney stayer goes into the race nicknamed the "Last Chance Stakes" after an erratic but still effective all-the-way win in the City Tattersall's Club Cup at Royal Randwick last start.
Maluckyday was a lightly-raced four-year-old like Kingdoms when he won the City Tattersall's Club Cup before taking out the Lexus Stakes to earn a Melbourne Cup start.
In the famous Flemington "two-miler" Maluckyday ran second to French stayer Americain, beating home champion So You Think who was third.
Kingdoms showed staying promise himself earlier this year when third to It's A Dundeel in the ATC Australian Derby but had been struggling for form this spring prior to his last start win.
Ridden aggressively to lead, Kingdoms led throughout and won narrowly despite hanging out badly under pressure in the straight.
But O'Shea isn't expecting a repeat of Kingdom's wayward running style at Flemington on Saturday.
"He handles Flemington well, if anything he is suited this way of going,'' O'Shea said.
"This horse comes in well at the weights, he runs a strong 24500m and has a good turn of foot.
"If he wins, he will be running in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.''
O'Shea confirmed Cox Plate-winning apprentice Chad Schofield is on standby to ride, Kingdoms in the Melbourne Cup.
MELBOURNE CUP HOPEFULS - WHAT THEY NEED TO DO
MACKINNON STAKES
Order Horse Status
16 Mourayan Guaranteed a start
18 Dear Demi Guaranteed a start
24 Mr Moet Borderline
28 Moriarty Needs to win
30 Jet Away Needs to win
LEXUS STAKES
13 Ethiopia Guaranteed a start
25 Kelinni Borderline
27 My Quest For Peace Needs to win
31 Mr O'Ceirin Needs to win
33 Moudre Needs to win
34 Julienas Needs to win
35 Kingdoms Needs to win
37 Araldo Needs to win
38 Ironstein Needs to win
39 Motivado Needs to win
40 Let's Make Adeal Needs to win
41 Vaquera Needs to win
Eq 43 Bass Strait Needs to win
Garud Needs to win
Ruscello Needs to win
*The winners of both the Lexus and Mackinnon Stakes are exempt from the Melbourne Cup ballot
MELBOURNE CUP (3200m), FLEMINGTON, NOVEMBER 5
ORDER OF ENTRY
1 FAWKNER Robert Hickmott 54.5kg
2 DUNADEN (FR) Mikel Delzangles 58.5kg
3 GREEN MOON (IRE) Robert Hickmott 57.5kg
4 RED CADEAUX (GB) Ed Dunlop 56.5kg
5 SEA MOON (GB) Robert Hickmott 56.5kg
6 SUPER COOL Mark Kavanagh 54.5kg
7 VOLEUSE DE COEURS (IRE) Michael Moroney 54kg
8 FIORENTE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse 55kg
9 HAWKSPUR Chris Waller 53.5kg
10 TRES BLUE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse 51kg
11 BROWN PANTHER (GB) Tom Dascombe 55kg
12 FORETELLER (GB) Chris Waller 55kg
13 ETHIOPIA Pat Carey 54.5kg
14 DANDINO (GB) Marco Botti 54.5kg
15 VEREMA (FR) Alain de Royer Dupre 53kg
16 MOURAYAN (IRE) Robert Hickmott 54.5kg
17 SEVILLE (GER) Robert Hickmott 54.5kg '
18 DEAR DEMI Clarry Conners 51kg
19 SILENT ACHIEVER (NZ) Roger James 52.5kg
20 MOUNT ATHOS (IRE) Luca Cumani 54kg
21 ROYAL EMPIRE (IRE) Saeed Bin Suroor 54kg
22 MASKED MARVEL (GB) Robert Hickmott 54kg
23 SIMENON (IRE) William Mullins 53.5kg
24 MR MOET Adam Durrant 53.5kg
25 KELINNI (IRE) Chris Waller 53kg
26 IBICENCO (GER) Peter G Moody 53kg '
27 MY QUEST FOR PEACE (IRE) Peter G Moody 53kg
28 MORIARTY (IRE) Chris Waller 53kg
29 PRECEDENCE (NZ) Bart & James Cummings 53kg
30 JET AWAY (GB) David Hayes 53kg
31 MR O'CEIRIN (NZ) Ciaron Maher 52.5kg
32 FORGOTTEN VOICE (IRE) Nicky Henderson 52.5kg
33 MOUDRE Ciaron Maher 52.5kg
34 JULIENAS (IRE) Gai Waterhouse 52kg
35 KINGDOMS (NZ) John O'Shea 50kg
36 SHOREHAM Saab Hasan 50kg
37 ARALDO (GB) Michael Moroney 50.5kg
38 IRONSTEIN Gerald Ryan 50.5kg
39 MOTIVADO (GB) David Hayes 50.5kg
40 LET'S MAKE ADEAL Nigel Blackiston 50kg
41 VAQUERA (NZ) Gai Waterhouse 50kg
42 GRIS CARO (GB) Jake Stephens 50.5kg
NOT QUALIFIED
EQ43 BASS STRAIT (NZ) David Hayes 50kg
CARAVAN ROLLS ON (GB) Peter Chapple-Hyam 50kg
GARUD (IRE) Michael Moroney 50kg
OPINION (IRE) Chris Waller 50kg
RUSCELLO (IRE) Ed Walker 50kg
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