Danny O’Brien undecided on third Melbourne Cup tilt for 2019 champ Vow And Declare

Danny O’Brien wants to see a competitive comeback from Vow And Declare before committing to a third Melbourne Cup for the 2019 champion.

Danny O’Brien is hoping Vow And Declare can rediscover his best form. Picture: AAP

Trainer Danny O’Brien must see a sign of intent from Vow And Declare on Saturday at Caulfield to warrant a third Cups campaign.

The 2019 Melbourne Cup winner, who has gone eight starts and more than 660 days without success due to hoof and back issues, will resume in the Listed Heatherlie Stakes (1700m).

While not needed to fight out the finish first-up with 60kg and short of the preferred distance range, O’Brien hopes the six-year-old gelding will be competitive after a long absence.

Vow And Declare has only been to the races once – the Group 3 Easter Cup in April – since battling in the Cup last year with a big weight (57kg) and undiagnosed back soreness.

Given the run of outs, O’Brien is reluctant to look beyond Saturday race and the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes on September 18.

Form will then dictate whether the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes or Group 3 Bart Cummings come into calculations for Vow And Declare, let alone the Cups.

“He mightn’t run in either of them (Cups) unless he shapes up in his first two or three starts,” O’Brien said.

“He won’t be going there for practice unless he’s going to be very competitive, we’ll be finding out a lot in his first two or three runs on where he should be going.”

Vow And Declare was runner-up in the 2019 Caulfield Cup before surging late under pressure to win the Melbourne Cup at his next start.

The gelding lumped 57kg last year in the Cup but the form slump and ratings slide could see the six-year-old attract a more favourable impost from the handicapper.

Vow And Declare returns in the Heatherlie Stakes at Caulfield. Picture: AAP

“Even at his best with 57kg not many horses win the Melbourne Cup and that’s what he had last year,” O’Brien said.

“I’m hoping given the form the past seven or eight runs he’s going to drop a few kilograms this year, if he drops two or three kilograms in the weights it makes it less complicated.”

O’Brien will also saddle up Miami Bound in the Heatherlie, with the Group 1-winning mare on a path towards the Bart Cummings and upgraded $1m Moonee Valley Cup.

The Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup was worth $500,000 last year when Miami Bound saluted as a $26 chance to help Jamie Kah secure four winners on Cox Plate Day.

Peters Investments-owned West Australian mare Inspirational Girl is the $7 TAB third favourite in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes.

“We have been really impressed with her since she’s come over from Perth,” O’Brien said.

“We can’t fault her, she’s a really high quality mare that is still lightly raced, so hoping there’s good improvement.

“She needs to keep improving if she’s going to step into the real deep end of the Melbourne spring, but no reason why she can’t.”

Inspirational Girl holds nominations for the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

Originally published as Danny O’Brien undecided on third Melbourne Cup tilt for 2019 champ Vow And Declare