Caulfield Cup 2016: Final field and barrier draw

CUP FIELD: CIARON Maher remains confident favourite Jameka can overcome an awkward gate to win Saturday’s $3m race, saying he will leave the tactics to jockey Nick Hall.

Jameka is a firm favourite for the Caulfield Cup. Picture: Michael Klein

CIARON Maher remains confident Caulfield Cup favourite Jameka can overcome an awkward gate to win Saturday’s $3 million race, saying he will leave the tactics to jockey Nick Hall.

In a frustrating barrier draw on Tuesday night for Maher, Jameka drew barrier 13, while his other two lightweight hopes, Set Square (20) and Pemberley (17) also drew poorly.

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Despite the setback, last year’s VRC Oaks winner firmed with the TAB to be a clear-cut favourite at $3.30, as the four-year-old mare looks to become the first horse since Viewed in 2009 to win from barrier 13.

Mummify also won from that gate in 2003.

Second favourite German stayer Articus ($7.50) will start from barrier 11, Darren Weir’s Real Love drew 10, firming from $8 into $7.50, while Lee and Anthony Freedman’s import Exospheric ($11) will jump from gate 3, while stablemate Our Ivanhowe drew six.

“We had hoped (to draw) a little closer, but the barrier is what it is,” an unfazed Maher said. “You can’t really control it. Anywhere inside 10 you would probably hope for. But you would take 13; it is better than 20. I’ll leave it to Nick (Hall).”

Maher said he was hopeful Set Square and Pemberley could overcome the bad gates, given their light weights.

“She went forward from a wide gate last time, she will probably go back,” he said of Set Square. “Again you would rather draw closer and land in a pocket, but hopefully they run along.”

“(Pemberley) was very good last time. He is a horse in great order, and when a horse drops to a weight like that (50.5kg), they can do things they have never done before.”

Ciaron Maher will saddle-up three runners in the Caulfield Cup, including the favourite Jameka.

Mick Price said he was pleased with Tarzino’s barrier four, but was hopeful the sting might be out of the ground on Saturday to bring about a change in fortune for last year’s Victoria Derby winner.

“The horse looks good ... he has had a good couple of weeks, I would just like the track rating to be right for him,” Price said. “The mile-and-a-half is good, the barrier four is good, and if the track has got a bit of give in it, I think he will run a really good race.”

Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett, who scouted the Andreas Wohler-trained Articus from Germany, said the horse had been targeted in the same way as 2014 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist.

“Watching a lot of those German races, he caught our eye 12 months ago and we are very fortunate to have the relationship with Christoph Berglar, who raced the horse,” Lovett said.

German import Articus has settled in well at Werribee. Picture: Mark Stewart

“We had to wait our time until he ran in his Group 1 and then Christoph was happy to sell him to us.

“He was running times that we thought he could develop into a nice horse in Australia. He probably stepped up a little more than we thought, to be fair.

“He has handled the travel ... so there is a fair bit of upside.”

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Scottish, was “delighted” with the horse starting from barrier seven. “It gives us plenty of options.”

Sir Isaac Newton, trained by Aidan O’Brien, will jump from barrier nine.

$3m CAULFIELD CUP

Caulfield, Saturday

1 PREFERMENT C Waller H Bowman (15) 57kg

2 OUR IVANHOWE L & A Freedman D Dunn (6) 56.5kg

3 EXOSPHERIC L & A Freedman D Oliver (3) 55.5kg

4 SCOTTISH C Appleby K McEvoy (7) 55kg

5 SIR ISAAC NEWTON A O’Brien C O’Donoghue (9) 55kg

6 TARZINO M Price C Newitt (4) 54.5kg

7 ALMOONQITH D & B Hayes & T Dabernig M Walker (2) 54kg

8 SIR JOHN HAWKWOOD J P Thompson B Spriggs (5) 53.5kg

9 ARTICUS A Wohler Z Purton (11) 53kg

10 TALLY J O’Shea B Avdulla (19) 53kg

11 JAMEKA C Maher N Hall (13) 52.5kg

12 REAL LOVE D Weir C Williams (10) 52.5kg

13 SET SQUARE C Maher M Dee (a) (20) 52kg

14 BIG MEMORY T McEvoy C Parnham (12) 51.5kg

15 SACRED MASTER C Waller T Berry (8) 51.5kg

16 FANATIC G Sanders D Yendall (16) 50.5kg

17 PEMBERLEY C Maher B Allen (a) (17) 50.5kg

18 GO DREAMING G Kluske Ms K Mallyon (1) 50.5kg

19e DE LITTLE ENGINE D O’Brien B E Thompson (a) (14) 50.5kg

20e VENGEUR MASQUE M Moroney P Moloney (18) 50.5kg

BETTING: TAB FIXED ODDS