French stayer Tiberian next start in Melbourne Cup
DARREN Dance bought into French stayer Tiberian last December with the long-range ambition of starting him in the 2018 Melbourne Cup.
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DARREN Dance bought into French stayer Tiberian last December with the long-range ambition of starting him in the 2018 Melbourne Cup.
Dance has had to readjust his calendar as Tiberian will have his next start in the 2017 Melbourne Cup.
Tiberian firmed from $26 into $21 for the Melbourne Cup with TAB fixed odds after his latest win.
Tiberian though has booked his ticket for the 2017 Melbourne Cup after wins at his past two starts including the Group 2 Grand Prix (2500m) at Deauville on Sunday night.
“He’s now won four out of five starts for us. After his win I’m happy and relieved and he’ll have his next start in the Melbourne Cup,” Dance said.
“He needed to again run well to guarantee he would be coming out here.”
Dance assumed Heartbreak City, who was narrowly beaten in last year’s Melbourne Cup, would be his syndication group Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock’s representative this year.
After Heartbreak City was euthanised after he broke a leg in a track gallop in May, Dance thought that was it for this year’s Melbourne Cup.
“I bought Tiberian thinking 2018 was going to be his year but he’s stepped up to the plate and he should be a serious contender for this year’s Melbourne Cup.”
Dance also purchased in the northern hemisphere Jakkalberry who finished third in 2012 and Dandino who finished fifth in 2013.
Dance believes Tiberian will follow in the footsteps of those horses and be to the fore in the Melbourne Cup.
“He’s a lightly raced stayer who can take up a position and he has a good turn of foot,” he said.
ATB purchased 50 per cent of the stallion who is trained by Alain Couteil.
“He had form around horses I rated and his closing sectionals said he’s a horse on the up.”
Dance will also enter the Darren Weir trained Yogi for the Melbourne Cup but said he needed to win the Bart Cummings at Flemington to secure a run.