Leading trainer Chris Waller says Caulfield Cup winner Verry Elleegant ready to go for Melbourne Cup
Trainer Chris Waller says getting the extra 800m of the 3200m Melbourne Cup is the only unknown for Caulfield Cup winner Verry Elleegant.
Melbourne Cup
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She has room to move and is as tough as nails, which gives leading training Chris Waller every confidence his star mare Verry Elleegant just needs luck in running to win the Melbourne Cup.
Waller said the only unknown was the extra 800m the Caulfield Cup winner needed to travel, having stormed to victory over 2400m last month and now needing to get the 3200m of the greatest staying test in Australian racing.
The star five-year-old also collected the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on her way to the first Tuesday in November, and Waller said Verry Elleegant, who had a final workout on Monday morning, was ready to go.
“I’m as confident as you can be. There’s a lot of unknowns when you go to a Melbourne Cup,” he said on Monday about his $11 TAB chance.
“The Caulfield Cup was always great lead-up form and you’d always follow the winner into a Melbourne Cup. But things have changed a little bit with the international presence and how they train and nurture their horses.
“But she is a great chance and has come through the Caulfield Cup very well, and I think everybody saw how tough she actually is. That extra 800m is the unknown, but what a tough horse we’ve got. She’s won three times over 2400m in very big races, so only another 800m to go.”
Waller was happy enough with drawing barrier 15, which could give jockey Mark Zahra “options”.
“I honestly didn’t want her drawn too close because if she got caught in on the fence she can get a little bit erratic, and if Mark Zahra was down there on the fence he’d have nowhere to go. At least he’s got a bit of room to move,” he said.
“She has a great turn of foot, the staying ability is there, it’s just a matter of luck in running.”
Verry Elleegant & Finche, both nice and relaxed in the countdown to the #MelbourneCup
— Chris Waller Racing (@cwallerracing) November 2, 2020
Wishing everybody all the best - these two are ready to go. @Racing @7horseracing @WHR @SkyRacingAU pic.twitter.com/hgP1hnjZo5
Waller also saddles up Finche, the $17 TAB chance that ran fifth in the Caulfield Cup and seventh in last year’s Melbourne Cup.
It will be the seven-year-old son of Frankel’s third go at winning a Melbourne Cup, and Waller said this could be his best chance after drawing barrier six.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way he looks this morning,” Waller said.
“This is the best barrier draw he’s had. It’s not ideal that he has run in the Cup twice and hasn’t won. But we believe he is a genuine chance.”
Originally published as Leading trainer Chris Waller says Caulfield Cup winner Verry Elleegant ready to go for Melbourne Cup