Vow And Declare will follow a similar path in Melbourne Cup defence
Trainer Danny O’Brien has revealed his plans for Melbourne Cup champ Vow And Declare next year and he won’t be straying too far from what worked.
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Danny O’Brien intends to follow a similar path with Vow And Declare in his quest to make it back-to-back Melbourne Cups with the champion stayer.
O’Brien said Vow And Declare would definitely be in action during the Queensland winter which he would again use as a springboard into the Melbourne spring as he did this year.
O’Brien is contemplating resuming Vow And Declare at the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 11.
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“Rather than get him back for the Australian Cup he can kick off later and go all the way through as he did this year with one long preparation,” O’Brien said.
Last year Vow And Declare returned to racing in April with a third at Flemington on Anzac Day over 1710m.
He then had a another run at Sandown in May before he headed to Queensland for three runs.
O’Brien said the Doomben Cup (2000m) on May 16, the O’Shea Stakes (2200m) at Eagle Farm on May 30 and the Tatt’s Cup (3000m) at Eagle Farm on June 20 which he won this year were both on his agenda.
O’Brien said the Tatt’s Cup had a maximum topweight of 61 kilograms.
“After Queensland he’ll come to Melbourne and follow a similar path with two or three runs before the Melbourne Cup,” he said.
“He'll get to have that warmer weather up in Queensland during the winter and then he won't have to have a long spring, get ready for the back end of it when he's got the right races.”
O’Brien said he sees Vow And Declare and his VRC Oaks winner Miami Bound who he shares a paddock with three or four times a week at his Barwon Heads farm and both were in great shape.
He said they would return to work just after Christmas.
O’Brien said the $1 million Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick would be Miami Bound’s autumn goal.
“I would say she'll run once in Melbourne, head to the Vinery Stakes and then onto the Oaks.
We were always expecting her to be good at 2400 metres, which she was, so we'd be mad if we didn't give her the chance at the Oaks.”